Schalke confirm they can't afford to keep Arsenal defender Sead Kolasinac

Stefan Bienkowski

• Updated: 3 Jun 2021 14:13 BST
• 5 min read

Schalke have confirmed that the club can’t afford to sign Arsenal defender Sead Kolasinac and former Ajax striker Klaas Jan Huntelaar for next season.

The Royal Blues were relegated from the Bundesliga this season, follow a dreadful campaign that saw the club pick up just 16 points from 34 games.

Kolasinac and Hunteelar were drafted into the squad during the January transfer window to try and turn the tide, but they were unable to help the Gelsenkirchen side avoid the drop.

READ MORE: Heung-min Son snaps back at reporter who asks about Kane departure

Now, as the club prepares for life in the 2.Bundesliga, it seems as though senior and expensive players like them will have to be cut from the wage budget going forward.

"From a sporting and human point of view, this decision hurts us," Peter Knabel, Schalke’s director of sport said on the club website.

"In view of the current budget and squad structure - all the well-known and publicly discussed challenges - there was no alternative. We have to be that honest.

“In view of the short preparation period and the early start to the season, we cannot afford to hang around for weeks either; we have to make decisions for Schalke 04 now.

“That's why we decided to make this clear cut."

Will Kolasinac return to Arsenal next season?

While the initial plan may have been for Kolasinac to move on loan to Schalke and then join on a permanent deal in the summer, this news suggests the Bosnia international may be returning to Mikel Arteta’s squad in the summer.

The defender currently has a deal with the London club that will run until the summer of 2022, meaning he will have to be sold if there's no room for him in Arteta’s squad next season.

According to Tuttosport, Napoli may be willing to take the player off Arsenal’s hands and offer to sign Kolasinac in the summer transfer period.