Borussia Dortmund CEO Hans-Joachim Watzke has admitted that the German club cannot match the wages on offer at Bayern Munich and Real Madrid.
The likes of Robert Lewandowski and Ilkay Gundogan were linked with moves away from Dortmund in the summer, while a number of players have sought pastures new in the last couple of years.
"Players leaving Dortmund is partially related to the club's status. How many clubs are there really where no player leaves for a bigger club?" he told Kicker.
"In order to be able to keep all your players, you will have to pay wages similar to Bayern and Real Madrid."
Dortmund currently sit top of the Bundesliga.
