Subotic, Bender given new Dortmund deals

Borussia Dortmund duo Neven Subotic and Sven Bender have committed themselves to the defending Bundesliga champions by signing contract extensions. Subotic, whose previous deal was due to expire in 2014, has signed a new contract until 2016 while Bender, who was already under contract until then, has extended by a further year. "We are delighted to have been able to tie down these two key members of our title-winning team," said the club's director of sport Michael Zorc. The duo put pen-to-paper on their new deals at the club's training camp in La Manga, Spain, where they are preparing for the second half of the season. Coach Jurgen Klopp, who signed Subotic from his former club Mainz as one of his first acts as Dortmund coach back in 2008, expressed his satisfaction in keeping the pair on the books. "I am very pleased that the lads want to carry along the path we are going," he said. Subotic and Bender follow the examples of Mario Gotze, Mats Hummels, Jakub Blaszczykowski and Lukasz Piszczek, who have all recently signed new deals with the Westphalians. Ivan Perisic no longer belongs to the record German champions, on the other hand, after his transfer to league rivals Wolfsburg went through today. "Borussia Dortmund wish Ivan Perisic all the best for the continuation of his career," read a statement on the Westphalian club's website. From FIFA