Club agrees to terms with French midfielder, Matondo headed back

German footballing magazine Kicker confirms a report originating earlier in the day that that FC Schalke 04 have agreed to terms with Montpelier midfielder Florent Mollet. Whether or not the 30-year-old Frenchman is actually headed to Gelsenkirchen remains to be seen. 

In other Schalke news, it can be confirmed that Welsh attacker Rabbi Matondo will be returned to the care of the Königsblauen. 

Despite their financial constraints, it might be the case that recently promoted FC Schalke 04 may be able to reel in a comparatively big fish in the form of veteran French midfielder Florent Mollet. The 30-year-old Montpelier man has been something of a late-bloomer in French football, not making his professional debut until the age of 24 and not upping his market value above €1.25 million until transferring from FC Metz to his current club in 2018.

After becoming a regular fixture in the Montpelier starting XI, Mollet has scored 24 goals and bagged 16 assists for the Ligue 1 side. Last season, he scored six goals and contributed two assists in 35 appearances for La Paillade. The player’s current market value, at €6 million is virtually identical to that of recently returned loanee Ko Itakura.

Whether or not Rouven Schröder and the Schalke front office can swing a transfer remains to be seen. German tabloid Sport Bild shone some light on the club’s current financial situation earlier in the day, noting that die Knappen remain on the hook for paying long departed players such as Omar Mascarell and Sebastian Rudy.

Germany’s Kicker magazine has repeadedly started over the course of the post-season transfer rumor season that Schröder and Schalke must be able to raise funds from current loan-outs (Amine Harit, Can Bozdogan, Levant Mercan, and Hamza Mendyl to name a few) before they can hop to be competitive on the transfer market.

News that hopes for selling one-such loan out had been dashed also came later this evening. Cercle Brugge officially declared that they had no interest in pulling the purchase option for young Welshman Rabbi Matondo. The now 21-year-old heads back to Gelsenkirchen again after negotiations to finalize a deal with Schalke fell through.

Matondo scored ten goals and recorded two assists in the Belgian Pro League this year. He was able to rehabilitate his market value somewhat during his stay in West Flanders. Matondo is once again considered a €4 million player.

Cercle Brugge heeft de aankoopoptie voor Rabbi Matondo (21) in de huurovereenkomst met FC Schalke 04 niet geactiveerd. Cercle was lange tijd bereid om dat wel te doen, maar een akkoord met de speler voor een definitieve overgang werd niet gevonden.

— Cercle Brugge (@cercleofficial) June 2, 2022

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