Arsenal defender Sead Kolasinac has agreed to join Bundesliga side Schalke on loan for the remainder of the season.
The Bosnia and Herzegovina international will be returning to the club he joined as a youth player and spent five years in their first team before signing with the Gunners in June 2017.
"I am happy and proud to be wearing the royal blue of Schalke 04 once again. The club is currently in a difficult situation. Over the coming weeks and months I want to do my part in order to help us pick up as many points as possible. We will manage to stay up together, I am 100 percent convinced of it!" Sead said in a statement.
"I am also very happy to be reunited with several familiar faces, both in the team and backroom staff. I never lost touch with FC Schalke 04. Returning to Gelsenkirchen was something I really wanted to do," he added.
Sead has made 113 appearances for Arsenal and his fine performances on way to the 2019 Europa League final were recognised when he was named in the 2018/19 UEFA Europa League squad of the season. Sead was also part of the FA Cup-winning squad against Chelsea last August. He also won the FA Community Shield in 2017 and 2020 with Arsenal.
"Sead needs to be playing regularly, so we have decided together that a move back to Germany with Schalke will benefit him at this moment. We will be keeping in close contact with Sead, and wish him huge success for the remainder of the season with Schalke," Technical director Edu said in a statement. For Schalke, Kolasinac has 94 Bundesliga appearances and four goals to his name. The full-back has also made six appearances in the DFB-Pokal, nine Champions League appearances and played in 14 Europa League games.
The loan move is subject to the completion of legal and regulatory processes and is effective from January 4.
( With inputs from ANI )
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