Despite rumors swirling of a move to Arsenal or Manchester United, a young gun has been lured to the Bundesliga instead.
19-year-old Switzerland international Breel Embolo has signed with Schalke, the German club announced Sunday morning, the day after his national team was eliminated by Poland on penalties in the Euro 2016 Round of 16.
The fee was reportedly $27.8 million, signing a five-year deal with Schalke.
Breel #Embolo wird ein SCHALKER! #S04 pic.twitter.com/FHeHPeUPtN
— FC Schalke 04 (@s04) June 26, 2016
Embolo may be young, but he’s not short on experience. He’s been a two-year starter for Swiss league champions Basel, making his debut less than a month after his 17th birthday and playing in 90 club matches since, including 24 games in European tournaments. Embolo also has 14 caps for the Swiss national team already, debuting against the United States last year in a 1-1 friendly draw, and appearing in all four of Switzerland’s games in Euro 2016, starting one.
Schalke couldn’t resist posting a video boasting about beating out five other clubs for Embolo, with Manchester United, Arsenal, Barcelona, and Wolfsburg all featured with a slash through their club crest.
Das ist der NEUE: Breel #Embolo wechselt zum #S04. #S04MV16https://t.co/uhLlkb49i7
— FC Schalke 04 (@s04) June 26, 2016