Nico Schlotterbeck has joined 1. FC Union Berlin on a season-long loan from SC Freiburg.

The Germany U21 international will follow in the footsteps of his brother Keven, who enjoyed a hugely successful loan spell at the Stadion An der Alten Försterei. Nico's early years were spent at Stuttgarter Kickers, Karlsruher SC and VfR Aalen before he joined SC Freiburg in 2018. The left-sided defender made his debut for Freiburg last season and appeared 13 times in his first Bundesliga campaign.

"Berlin is an exciting city with a special football club. My brother has already told me a lot about Union and after what he told me, you can only look forward to the club and its fans. I'm looking forward to the season at Union and hope to play in front of crowds there soon," said the 20-year-old central defender.

"With Nico Schlotterbeck, we have a young, highly talented defender who has proven his great potential in the Bundesliga. With his way of playing football, he should make our game variable and personally take the next step in his development," said Oliver Ruhnert, Director of Professional Football at 1. FC Union Berlin.