Multiple Sources: Czech international Kral set to sign for Schalke
Virtually all German footballing media sources now report that FC Schalke 04 are on the verge of a major transfer coup.
Czech midfielder Alex Kral--a €7 million heavyweight once linked with much richer clubs such as Leipzig--will head to Gelsenkirchen on the cheap.
Twenty-four-year-old Czech international Alex Kral is apparently headed the North Rhine Westphalia next season to don the royal blue jersey of newly promoted FC Schalke 04. The 32-times-capped international, presently the property of Spartak Moscow, will be available to the Bundesliga club via a special UEFA clause that enables players contracted with Russian clubs to suspend their working papers for a year.
Czech midfielder Alex Kral--a €7 million heavyweight once linked with much richer clubs such as Leipzig--will head to Gelsenkirchen on the cheap.
At present, it remains unclear why Kral chose Schalke above other potential suitors. Moreover, the precise terms of the arrangement also get murky. It's possible that Schalke still must conclude a loan arrangement with Spartak in order to exercise rights to the player. Spartak most recently collected some €5 million in loan fees from Premiership side West Ham United, at which Kral spent the entire 2021/22 season on the bench.
German footballing magazine Kicker, among others, report that Kral is sescheduled for a medical in Gelsenkirchen on Wednesday. Though his nion-use in London did see Kral's estimated market value dip from a peak of an estimated €12 million to €7 million in the latest transfermarkt listings, the current value of the defensive midfielder would make him by far Schalke's biggest summer acquisition.