Bundesliga News

Multiple Sources:
Czech international Kral set to sign for Schalke

By Peter Weis   @PeterVicey

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. 
Kral playing for the Czech Republic
Kral playing for the Czech RepublicTadeáš Bednarz CC-BY-SA 4.0
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.

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.

More about Alex Král

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