Bologna's interest in Sabitzer emerged on Monday, but Bild's follow-up reporting made clear the Italian club does not meet the Austrian's threshold for a move; only a genuine step up, either into the Champions League or a lucrative switch to Saudi Arabia, would tempt him to leave.
That leaves Borussia Dortmund in a difficult spot, given the 32-year-old's contract expires next summer, meaning this window represents the club's last realistic chance to recoup a fee for him before facing a free departure in 2027.
Newcastle United, meanwhile, are showing genuine intent over a different Dortmund midfielder.
According to L'Équipe, Felix Nmecha, 25, has for several weeks been the club's clear first-choice option to replace captain Bruno Guimarães, who is closing in on a move to Arsenal reported to be worth around €90m.
Newcastle are already aware of Dortmund's valuation, understood to be a hard line at €120m, and have reportedly opened informal contact even without an official bid on the table yet, with Porto's Victor Froholdt also under consideration as an alternative.
Dortmund had previously seen off Newcastle's interest in Nmecha once before, when the German international chose to join from Wolfsburg for around €30m in 2023 rather than move to England; he has a contract at the Westfalenstadion running until 2030 and has developed into one of coach Niko Kovac's most important players since, praised for his physical strength, technical ability and vision in both central midfield roles.
With both Sabitzer and Nmecha attracting serious interest, Dortmund's options in central midfield already look thin, making it hard to imagine the club sanctioning the sale of both players in the same summer regardless of the fees on offer.