FC Schalke 04: Which teams are interested in Nabil Bentaleb?

Nabil Bentaleb‘s difficult time with FC Schalke 04 is about to come to a close, and teams around Europe are lining up for the opportunity to sign a talented center midfielder at a slashed price.

FC Schalke 04 have one of the best midfields in all of Europe – not just the Bundesliga. New captain Omar Mascarell is one of the finest holding midfielders you’ll find, Suat Serdar is having a breakout year as a box-to-box midfielder, and Amine Harit is emerging as one of the best attacking midfielders in the world.

But before those three broke out, Nabil Bentaleb was expected to be a big star in Schalke’s midfield. The Royal Blues purchased him from Tottenham in 2017 after a successful loan spell, and while he had an encouraging start to his career in Gelsenkirchen, he’s found it difficult over the past year. Bentaleb hasn’t even featured in a game for the resurgent Royal Blues this season.

Therefore, Bentaleb is all but guaranteed to move this winter on either a permanent transfer or a loan. And if it’s a loan, Schalke likely prefers that his next team purchases Bentaleb permanently, just as Hoffenheim recently did with another disappointment in midfield in Sebastian Rudy.

According to a report from Foot Mercato, via GetFootballNewsFrance, Bentaleb wants a move back to the Premier League or to Ligue 1 this winter. Bentaleb was born in Lille, France and played for Lille’s youth team.

Crystal Palace and “several” English clubs have shown interest in Bentaleb, per the report, along with AC Milan in Serie A. The report also mentions that two Ligue 1 sides have interest in the 25-year-old Algeria international, though those teams have not been reported yet.

Bentaleb still has plenty left to give at the age of 25 and can still be a quality starting midfielder for a club. But his future isn’t with Schalke, that much is clear. They already look set in midfield, and there seem to be irreconcilable differences between the club and the player.

He needs a fresh start, and perhaps a move to Palace or Ligue 1 can give Bentaleb a chance to show football fans that he’s still a quality midfielder.