Schalke have announced they ‘will not activate the purchase option’ to sign defender Ko Itakura from Manchester City this summer.
The Japanese defender has been on loan with the Bundesliga club this past season after it was made clear he was not a part of Manchester City’s plans for this season.
He’s been a big hit with the German club, playing a key role in their defence and helping them return to the Bundesliga.
They held an option to sign the defender on a permanent basis for €5.5m, but that expired today, and the club have now announced they will not be activating it.
“Sporting-wise, there are no two opinions: Ko was one of the outstanding players last season,” club chief Rouven Schröder told the club’s official website.
“We don’t want to beat around the bush – at this point in time, when numerous squad decisions still have to be implemented, we could not pull the purchase option. The financial volume was simply too large and would have exceeded our carefully set budget.”
The defender is now set to return to Manchester City, although how long he will remain at the Etihad is up for debate.
It’s unlikely he will be breaking into Pep Guardiola’s squad this season, or perhaps at any point in the near future, so another move away seems likely.
Several reports from Germany have already made it clear there are other clubs in the Bundesliga interested, so expect the defender to be linked with a return before too long.
