Schalke 'join race for Rafael van der Vaart'
Schalke are said to be the latest club to be preparing a move for Real Madrid playmaker Rafael Van der Vaart.
After it was reported that Serie A giants Juventus are ready to make a move for the Holland international, German daily Bild said that Schalke are keen to recruit the player.
The Bundesliga outfit are pushing for a UEFA Champions League qualification spot this season and are looking to add some more creativity to their squad. The newspaper suggested that coach Felix Magath sees 27-year-old Van der Vaart as the solution to his problem and is said to be preparing a bid.
Player influx at Real Madrid
Madrid have announced they are looking to offload some of their players after another large summer recruiting drive which has seen the likes of 2010 FIFA World Cup stars Mesut Ozil and Sami Khedira, Argentina international Angel di Maria, former Chelsea defender Ricardo Carvalho and Sergio Canales join Jose Mourinho’s squad. Van der Vaart has been widely tipped as one of those headed for the exit door.
The midfielder is said to enjoy a strong reputation in Germany after his spell with Hamburg. If he were to join Schalke, he would be the third player to make the move from Madrid to the Gelsenkirchen side this summer after Christoph Metzelder and Bernebau legend Raul.
Van der Vaart was quoted by Bild as saying that: "Schalke are a great club. I've already heard a lot of good things about the new club of Raul. However, I still have the desire to succeed at Real Madrid and prefer to stay here."
The player has been with Madrid for two seasons after joining up from Hamburg in a deal worth 13 million euros. He has played 83 times for his country, scoring 16 goals, and featured in Holland’s run to the World Cup final this summer.
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