Sead Kolasinac faces Arsenal RETURN this summer as loan club Schalke announce they cannot afford to sign him permanently following relegation from the Bundesliga
- Sead Kolasinac will return to Arsenal after Schalke failed to buy him permanently
- The left-back left for the Bundesliga club in January but the club were relegated
- The German side admitted failing to sign Kolasinac ‘hurts us in human terms’
- The Bosnian is set to go back to north London with one year left on his contract
Sead Kolasinac is facing a return to Arsenal after his loan club Schalke announced they could not afford to keep the left-back for another season.
The 27-year-old joined the Bundesliga‘s bottom club on a six-month loan in January along with fellow Gunners man Shkodran Mustafi, but neither of the defenders could do anything to stop the Gelsenkirchen club from being relegated to the second tier.
Mustafi, who joined on a six-month permanent contract, was let go by Schalke last month and the German club have now announced that Kolasinac and other January arrival Klaas-Jan Huntellaar will be leaving as well.
Sead Kolasinac is heading back to Arsenal after Schalke could not make his loan permanent
Relegated Schalke announced that Klaas-Jan Huntelaar (left) and Kolasinac won’t be kept on
Sporting director Peter Knabel said: ‘This decision hurts us both in sport and human terms. In view of the current budget and squad structure – all the known and publicly discussed challenges – there was no alternative.
‘We have to be so honest. In view of the short preparation and the early start of the season, we cannot afford a week-long hang-up game either, but have to make decisions for Schalke 04 now. That’s why we decided on this clear cut.’
Kolasinac has one year left on his Arsenal contract and is set to return to north London unless a new club does come in for his services.
Mikel Arteta sanctioned a move for the defender without finding a left-back replacement, meaning Granit Xhaka and Cedric Soares were shoehorned into the role when Kieran Tierney picked up an injury late in the campaign.
Kolasinac left Arsenal for Schalke in January but still has a year left on his Gunners deal
Kolasinac (left) joined Schalke with Shkodran Mustafi (right) who has left Schalke on a free
The Bosnian left the Emirates Stadium in January with just one Premier League appearance to his name all season and made 17 more outings int the German top flight, but Schalke only won two of those games.
The relegation of the Royal Blues, who are one of the founding members of the Bundesliga and are commonly known as the second-largest team in Germany, mean they will play second tier football for the first time since 1988.
The left-back joined Arsenal from Schalke on a free transfer in the summer of 2017 and has made 113 appearances for the Gunners in all competitions during that time.
In his north London career, he helped Arsenal win the FA Cup in 2020 and lifted two Community Shield titles as well.
