FC Köln give up hope of keeping Skhiri
FC Köln have come to terms with the fact that Ellyes Skhiri doesn't want to sign a new contract.
| Ellyes Skhiri. | Photo: Sandro Halank, Wikimedia Commons, CC-BY-SA 4.0 |
"I don't see that happening," FC Köln's sporting director Christian Keller told the Kölnische Rundschau, adding:
"If the player says that at a crucial age in his career, he wants to try to take the next step and play regularly internationally, then you have to accept that."
Skhiri was already looking very likely to leave Köln back in December.
"[Skhiri] has a clear sporting plan in mind, which he feels he cannot realize here. Of course the door is always open. But it doesn't look likely," FC Köln coach Steffen Baumgart said back then.
Borussia Dortmund, Eintracht Frankfurt and Olympique Lyon have all been linked with the 27-year-old defensive midfielder.