Schalke will sign winger Yevhen Konoplyanka on a permanent transfer from Sevilla, the German club's sporting executive Christian Heidel has confirmed.
Having joined Schalke on a one-year-loan with an option to buy last summer, Konoplyanka has yet to show his best form at the Veltins Arena, despite scoring six goals and setting up two more.
The 26-year-old Ukraine international has featured in 22 matches in all competitions, but started in only nine and played the full 90 minutes just once in the 1-1 draw with Freiburg in late 2016.
But despite his struggles to adapt to life in Germany, Schalke want to exercise their option to buy Konoplyanka.
"Even though he did not make the squad today, you have to clearly say that we would like to and will keep him," Heidel told reporters following the 1-1 draw at Cologne on Sunday.
"We believe that Kono can be very, very important for us. Nobody at Schalke doubts his footballing qualities"
Heidel also confirmed that the option to buy must be triggered following a certain number of games played, and that "he will reach that number." The transfer fee for Konoplyanka is reported to be in the region of €12 million.
