After returning to the Bundesliga, FC Schalke 04 is finally concentrating on squad planning for the coming season. S04 sports director Rouven Schröder faces some difficult decisions.
The championship celebration is only just over when FC Schalke 04 is already starting the meticulous squad planning for the coming season in the Bundesliga.
“We cannot take everyone with us who helped us to rise. There will definitely be tears that are not positive,” sporting director Rouven Schröder announced to the “pictureAccording to the newspaper, the decisions have already been made for some candidates.
Andreas Vindheim, on loan from Sparta Prague, is set to leave the club. The Royal Blues have a purchase option of 1.3 million euros, but apparently do not want to make use of it. Due to injury problems, the Norwegian, who only signed on in Gelsenkirchen in January, only made seven appearances.
Schalke is looking for buyers for Ranftl
Yaroslav Mikhailov is also apparently returning to his regular club. The 18-year-old Russian was no longer used under Mike Büskens at the end of the season and will appear again for Zenit St. Petersburg in the future.
Salif Sané’s expensive contract expires in the summer and will not be renewed. This saves Schalke around 3.5 million euros a year.
The expiring contracts of the two keeper Martin Fraisl and Michael Langer as well as the midfielder Marc Rzatkowski should not be extended. In addition, according to “Bild” information, Schröder should try to find a buyer for Reinhold Ranftl. The Austrian could not convince those responsible. It is still tied to S04 until 2024.
Schalke wants to keep top performer Itakura
There is also an unclear situation with other players, but they want to keep the miners. For example, Man City loanee Ko Itakura, who was one of the keys to promotion. However, the 25-year-old should cost around 5.5 million euros in transfer fee. For the climber, a sum that is difficult to manage.
Although Dong-gyeong Lee only made one appearance for Schalke due to injury, talks are already underway to extend his loan with Ulsan Hyundai.
Negotiations are also likely to be pending for fan favorite Darko Churlinov. The offensive player is on loan from VfB Stuttgart and should definitely be kept. According to “Bild” information, he is already looking for an apartment in the Ruhr area. However, the transfer poker with the Swabians must first be successfully contested.
So there is a lot of work waiting for Schröder.