Gladbach keen to keep Dante

Gladbach, which currently lies second in the Bundesliga, has already lost Marco Reus to Borussia Dortmund and Roman Neustadter to Schalke.

Dante, who has been a commanding figure in the club's transformation from relegation candidate to title challenger, is the latest to attract interest, but director of sport Max Eberl remains hopeful.

"I can report from our talks with Dante and his advisors and we have been in close contact for a long time now," he told Kicker magazine.

"We want to extend Dante's contract and we are heading in the right direction to achieve something big and therefore be able to offer Dante sporting potential.

"Dante is an important player in our side."

Gladbach is on course for a place in the UEFA Champions League next season with 10 points separating it from fifth-placed Werder Bremen with 12 games of the season remaining.

Dante's contract still has over two years left to run on it and he has made it clear that money does not play a role in his future planning.

"If it was only down to money, then I would move to Russia," he told the Express newspaper.

"I have good contacts over there. But now is not the time to talk about what happens in the summer."