Schalke 04 has reportedly signed Sami Khedira for next season. The Real Madrid player had been linked with Arsenal for a long time but has apparently decided to move back to his homeland.
The 27-year-old is not expected to renew his contract with Los Merengues by the end of the season. He was already pointing towards the exit door last summer but then decided to stay in Madrid.
Real Madrid’s most recent loss came exactly against Schalke. The German side surprised millions of viewers by defeating Madrid at its own house. A 4-3 score left them just one goal shy of reaching the next stage in the Champions League.
Khedira was one of Madrid's most criticized players after the game vs Schalke
According to the Spanish newspaper Marca, this move is already official but it won’t be officially announced until June. Chelsea was another Premier League team looking to sign the midfielder. Even Bayern Munich has shown interest in him.
This would put an end to the 5-year stint Khedira has enjoyed as a Merengue. He had previously played in Stuttgart’s youth academy, and from 2007 to 2010 he played for the first team.
His darkest days came between November 16, 2013 ad May 4, 2014 when he suffered a cruciate ligament rupture. That had him sidelined for 169 days and missing a total of 39 games. During his time with Los Merengues, he has missed close to 80 games due to injuries.
Injuries are a constant theme in Khedira's career
Despite that long break, he would be called to play with Germany in the World Cup in Brazil. He can already brag about being a World Champion even though he missed playing in the final due to another injury.
“The moment I realized that I could not play [in the final] was by far the saddest moment of my career,” Khedira, said.
