Bundesliga side FC Schalke 04, threatened with relegation, have already improved the transfer market this winter in order to be able to turn things around. Five new players joined the Revierklub, and a sixth could be added at short notice.
According to “Het Laatse Nieuws” from Belgium, Éder Balanta is moving from FC Brugge to FC Schalke 04. The two clubs are said to have already reached an agreement on a loan until the end of the season, the player is on his way to Gelsenkirchen.
His contract with the blue-blacks is valid until 2024, a purchase option is said not to have been negotiated.
A few days earlier, S04 had already used the neighboring country and guided the Swiss attacker Michael Frey from Royal Antwerp to the Ruhr area.
Schalke 04 had also strengthened their squad with midfielder Niklas Tauer from 1. FSV Mainz 05, left-back Jere Uronen from Stade Brest, winger Tim Skarke from Union Berlin and defender Moritz Jens from FC Lorient. They are all only on loan and are therefore only available until the end of the season. In Soichiro Kozuki, head coach Thomas Reis had also promoted another player from the second team to the pros.
Balanta with World Cup use in Brazil
The 29-year-old Éder Balanta would enrich the defensive midfield of the miners in the event of a commitment. The Colombian switched from FC Basel to FC Brugge in 2019, but had recently moved down the rankings there.
Balanta is a nine-time national team player and, as a young professional, was even part of the Colombian squad for the 2014 World Cup. In the group game against Japan (4:1) he was in the starting XI.
The defensive all-rounder, who can also play in central defence, has played regularly in the Champions League with both Basel and Brugge. In total, he can show 30 games in the premier class.