Unpleasant déjà-vu for FC Schalke 04 fans. As in the case of Ko Itakura, the envisaged further signing of a loan player failed once more due to the financial framework. According to ‘Sky’, Darko Churlinov (21) will return to VfB Stuttgart for the time being. All parties had actually hoped for an agreement.
The background: Schalke’s sports director Rouven Schröder aimed for another loan deal. His Stuttgart counterpart Sven Mislintat would probably have agreed to this, but only under the condition of a mandatory purchase option. Because the Schalke budget is very tight, Schröder canceled until further notice. According to ‘Sky’, Churlinov himself is now disappointed that the miners no longer want to invest in him.
FT opinion
The fronts have hardened, but it is possible that the very last word has not yet been spoken. VfB would very much like to save Churlinov’s salary. As soon as Schröder has removed other players from the payroll following Timo Becker, Salif Sané, Martin Fraisl and Marc Rzatkowski, there might be new movement in poker.
