GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany (AP) — World Cup-winning defender Shkodran Mustafi is among 10 players who will leave relegated Bundesliga club Schalke in a clearout at the end of the season.
Schalke said Thursday that Mustafi is one of four players with expiring contracts that won’t be renewed. The Germany defender was signed from Arsenal in January with a short-term contract after failing to get game time in the Premier League. He was the replacement for central defender Ozan Kabak, who was loaned to Liverpool.
The other Schalke players with expiring contracts are former Tottenham midfielder Nabil Bentaleb and wingers Alessandro Schöpf and Steven Skrzybski. Relegation activates clauses allowing defender Bastian Oczipka and former Paris Saint-Germain midfielder Benjamin Stambouli to leave. Schalke said four more players will depart when their loan deals end.
The list of on-loan players leaving did not, however, include defender Sead Kolasinac, who is owned by Arsenal. He has been captain for the second half of Schalke’s season and German media have reported the club is hoping to keep him for next season in the second division.
