Who Should Be Borussia Dortmund's Top Priority in Contract Talks?

With less than a week to go until the transfer window slams shut, the public focus lies on potential new signings, but for Borussia Dortmund's decision-makers, the real work only begins on February 2. The contracts of no fewer than eight players will expire within the next 18 months.

The expectation is that the Black and Yellows will try to agree to new deals with all eight players, perhaps apart from Moritz Leitner, whose situation we highlighted in this earlier piece.

Roman Weidenfeller's contract is the only one set to expire this season, and Dirk Krampe of local paper Ruhr Nachrichten (link in German) reported earlier in January that the club will announce a one-year extension with the 35-year-old fairly soon.

Other than that, however, a lot of work awaits the club.

With Lukasz Piszczek, Sven Bender, Mats Hummels and Marcel Schmelzer, an entire potential first-choice back line is among the eight names, while midfield maestros Ilkay Gundogan and Henrikh Mkhitaryan are also part of that group.

Dortmund would need to sell the players who don't agree to extensions in the summer in order to receive a fee. Chief executive Hans-Joachim Watzke made clear to Suddeutsche Zeitung (link in German) in December 2013 that there won't be a second case like the one of Robert Lewandowski, whom the club let go to Bayern Munich for free when his contract expired in the summer of 2014.

It's obvious that Dortmund's officials will have to set priorities in contract talks, and there are a number of ways to look at this conundrum.

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With all due respect to the likes of Piszczek, Bender and Schmelzer, the three big fish are Hummels, Gundogan and Mkhitaryan. Signing one of these three could have a trickle-down effect on the rest of the group.

The Argument for Mats Hummels

As the club captain, Germany international Hummels is something of a poster child for the Black and Yellows. The World Cup winner from 2014 has long been tipped to make a move to one of Europe's biggest clubs, so keeping him for the long term would be a massive coup, a real statement of intent to make the next step as a club.

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It would show the other players on the list that Dortmund have the footballing appeal and financial firepower to field a strong team despite the interest of the biggest competitors on the market.

He's the oldest of the three big names we focus on here, having turned 27 in December, and that could be a problem. For Hummels, the next contract could well be career-defining. If he's ever going to make the move to one of the three or four biggest clubs in the world, that probably needs to happen soon.

The Argument for Ilkay Gundogan

Arguably, Gundogan is the player Dortmund would have the toughest time replacing. The Germany international is a unique player in their squad, and at just 25 years of age, he's a player the Black and Yellows hope to build their future on.

Much like Hummels, a new contract for Gundogan would be a massive sign for the club. However, one would think Gundogan is the player who'll have the best options on the transfer market because of his blend of youth and talent.

If his performance against Borussia Monchengladbach is an indication of the rest of the season, Gundogan could play himself out of Dortmund's price range.

The Argument for Henrikh Mkhitaryan

Mkhitaryan could be the easiest of the big contracts to get done in the next few months.

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In a recent interview with Deutsche Welle, the Armenian midfielder talked about his special bond with head coach Thomas Tuchel, and one gets the sense that there's a certain level of gratitude from Dortmund's No. 10 towards the club.

After his first two years at the club were up and down at best, he's exploded this season under the tutelage of Tuchel.

However, his agent is the notorious Mino Raiola, so there's always the possibility of a surprise on the cards.

Our advice to Dortmund's officials would be to focus on Hummels and Gundogan.

Because of Hummels' standing at the club, losing him would be a big blow, even if centre-backs are probably easier to replace than many other positions. Gundogan, meanwhile, is irreplaceable on the field and will likely be the most sought-after player.

At any rate, the coming months will be important in terms of building the squad for the near and remote future. It's probably unreasonable to expect the club to get all deals done, and supporters will need to be patient.

Lars Pollmann is a Featured Columnist writing on Borussia Dortmund. He also writes for YellowWallPod.com. You can follow him on Twitter.