The Dutchman was axed by Manchester United in October following two years spent at Old Trafford.
But the 54-year-old could be back in the hotseat - this time at Dortmund following their bombshell news on Wednesday morning.
The German giants confirmed that cult hero Sahin has been relieved of his duties after just seven months in charge.
It comes following Tuesday night's 2-1 defeat at Bologna in the Champions League - Dortmund's fourth consecutive defeat in all competitions.
A statement from the club's sports director Lars Ricken read: "We value Nuri Sahin and his work very much, we hoped for a long-term collaboration and until the end we had hoped that we could achieve a sporting turnaround together.
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"After four defeats in a row, due to only one win in the last nine games and currently tenth in the Bundesliga table, we have unfortunately lost faith in being able to achieve our sporting goals in the current constellation.
"This decision hurts me personally, but it was unavoidable after the game in Bologna."
A disappointed Sahin offered a brief parting message to the club's fans, simply stating: "Unfortunately, we have not managed to live up to Borussia Dortmund's sporting ambitions this season.
"I wish this special club all the best."
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It has been widely reported that Ten Hag is the favourite to succeed Sahin at Signal Iduna Park.
Incredibly, it could see him in store for a reunion with Red Devils forward Marcus Rashford, with BVB one of the clubs keen on the England international.
Should it be Ten Hag that is appointed by Dortmund, he knows he will have his work cut out for him.
In what has been a nightmare campaign so far, BVB sit tenth in the German top-flight table - losing seven of their 18 fixtures.
They are seven points off the top four, and a whopping 20 points behind leaders and rivals Bayern Munich.
Dortmund are also already out of the DFB-Pokal - losing 1-0 away at Wolfsburg in the second round.
And it remains to be seen where they will finish in the revamped Champions League, as they sit 13th in the 36-team table.
It leaves them on the cusp of having to play a potentially tough knockout play-off tie with just one fixture remaining in the league phase of Europe's premier competition.
But Ten Hag will be looking to not only turn around Dortmund's fortunes, but also get his reputation back on track.
Despite winning the Carabao Cup and FA Cup with United, he was widely criticised for the club's playing style.
It led to United finishing eighth in the Premier League - their lowest ever top-flight position since 1990.
And their shocking start to this term under Ten Hag could lead to the Red Devils finishing in the bottom half of the table.