Cash-strapped Schalke could terminate Ozan Kabak’s contract as the Newcastle United and Tottenham Hotspur target continues to be linked with a return to the Premier League, German reporter Constantin Eckner has told the Blood Red Club podcast.
Two months ago, The Sun suggested the likes of Newcastle and Leicester City could be priced out of a deal for a man facing an uncertain future on the back of a hit-and-miss loan spell at Liverpool.
Schalke, at the time, were demanding an eye-watering £18 million.
Kabak, meanwhile, wanted a further £4 million a year in wages (£75,000 a week), with the overall package proving prohibitive.
Should the fallen giants of German football make the Turkey international available for nothing, however, things could change.
Tottenham could offer Kabak a return to the Premier League
“Schalke need him to go because they can’t pay him,” Eckner says.
“Kabak was set to return to training with Schalke after his holidays after the Euros – but they told him to have more days off to find a new club.
“Schalke might even terminate his contract before the end of August so he has time to find a new club.”
Eckner’s claims will be music to the ears of Steve Bruce.
Newcastle haven’t spent a single penny on new players this summer and were priced out of a deal for Kristoffer Ajer before the former Celtic defender joined newly promoted Brentford instead.
Tottenham were also linked, via TMW in July.
And while Fabio Paratici appears to be prioritising a trio of players who caught his eye in Serie A – Nikola Milenkovic and Takehiro Tomiyasu have been linked while Cristian Romero has agreed a £45,000-a-week deal with Spurs – Kabak would offer some valuable cover to a side that could lose Davinson Sanchez and Eric Dier as well as Toby Alderweireld.
One club Kabak won’t be joining, however, is Crystal Palace, according to Eckner.
“Schalke were in talks with Crystal Palace, who have then signed Joachim Andersen from Lyon. So he’s probably not going to Palace any more.”
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