German side Schalke can sign defender Ko Itakura from Manchester City for €4.5m next summer, but only if they are promoted to the Bundesliga.
That’s according to SportBILD, who say securing the centre-back on a permanent deal would be an ‘enormous feat’ for the German club.
Itakura has been on loan with Schalke from Manchester City since the summer, signing on a season-long deal towards the end of the transfer window.
The 24-year-old has been a regular for them since, establishing himself as a key player and improving from game to game.
They have that option in his current deal, but there is one caveat, they can only take up the option of a permanent move if they are promoted back to the Bundesliga.
The clause in the deal with Manchester City is €4.5m, although such a figure would be an ‘enormous feat’ for a club who are struggling financially.
The problem for them if they don’t activate the clause is that another loan deal is off the table as Itakura’s current contract at the Etihad expires in 2023, and he’d need to sign a new one before City would loan him out again.
That’s very unlikely to happen, meaning Schalke need to secure promotion and then get looking down the back of the couch for any spare change to use the option they’ve got.
