Huntelaar set to join Schalke

(GSM) – Milan striker Klaas-Jan Huntelaar is set to join Schalke 04 following the arrival of Zlatan Ibrahimovic from Barcelona which seems to have limited his first-team opportunities at the San Siro.

The 27-year-old has been told he is free to leave Milan and, while it has been reported in Italy that he turned down a switch to Schalke 04 earlier in the summer, he now admits it would be better to move on.

“It’s true that I never wanted to leave Milan,” he told the Dutch media. “That changed when Zlatan Ibrahimovic came over from Barcelona – I then realised that it is better that I leave. It’s important that I move so I can play regular football.

“I view Schalke 04 as a very attractive club. They regularly compete for the title. It’s a great challenge for me to help this club become champions.”

German newspaper Bild reports that Schalke have agreed a €14 million fee with Milan for the Netherlands striker after discussions on Monday.

Schalke, who signed Raul from Real Madrid earlier this summer, could now look to take Netherlands midfielder Rafael van der Vaart from the Bernabeu. “Schalke are a big club,” Van der Vaart told Bild recently. “Raul has told me good things.”