Schalke President Clemens Tonnies has confirmed that the Royal Blues are locked in negotiations with Real Madrid midfielder Sami Khedira.
The Germany international is expected to leave the Santiago Bernabeu at the end of the season after recently declaring his intent to “explore new challenges”, and the Gelsenkirchen side have long held an interest in taking advantage of his expiring status.
“I have a high opinion of Sami Khedira because he’s a leader who can improve the team,” the patron told Sport1.
“He has an incredible reputation with the national team. We’ve spoken [to Khedira] several times.
“Now, Horst Heldt [Schalke’s sporting director] and Khedira’s agent must find a satisfactory solution.”
However, it remains to be seen whether Khedira will drop out of the Champions League as Schalke’s goalless draw with Freiburg on Saturday saw them fall 10 points behind Bayer Leverkusen, the club occupying the Bundesliga’s last Champions League spot.