Eberl: Nordtveit's contract decision coming next week

After Borussia Mönchengladbach's victory in the Rhenische derby against Cologne, Mönchengladbach's sporting director Max Eberl put pressure on the Nordtveit camp to decide the player's future by the end of the month. "February should not go by without a decision," he said.

With the last Bundesliga matchday of February concluding this Sunday , Eberl confirmed Nordtveit should make his feelings clear in the coming days.

"It should be decided next week, maybe the 29th [of February] or March 1," Eberl said in Gladbach's press conference before their match with Augsburg on Sunday.

Nordtveit's contract expires at the end of the season, and there is a lot of competition for the 25-year-old Norwegian's signature. Arsenal are keen to bring him back to London after signing him to his first professional contract when he was 17 years old, while Leicester City and Tottenham have shown interest, according to German daily "Bild".

He has played in 27 of Gladbach's 31 games this season, and is a player the club wants to keep around.

"We wish and we hope that he stays with us and goes to the next level with us," Eberl said. "It is important for all parties, but for us the club it is important for us to know how to proceed: do we need to look for new players? Or do we have one in our squad for the next few years?"

Nordtveit, who has played in the heart of Gladbach's defense the last two weeks, had to end training early on Friday - along with defender Oscar Wendt and goalkeeper Yann Sommer - but coach Andre Schubert insisted it was only to protect his fitness.

"We have trained well and intensively the last few days, and we are conversing with the boys daily," Schubert said. "We decided it was better for them to take a break and to come back in tomorrow."