Schalke confirm deal for Switzerland forward Breel Embolo despite Manchester United interest

An otherwise disappointing weekend for Breel Embolo improved significantly on Sunday (26 June), with Bundesliga outfit Schalke 04 confirming that they have signed the 19-year-old forward from FC Basel despite rival interest from Manchester United. Clarification of his future will come as a relief for in-demand Embolo, who was part of the Switzerland squad that exited Euro 2016 at the last-16 stage on 25 June after a heartbreaking penalty shootout defeat to Poland in Saint-Etienne.

Cameroon-born Embolo, who made 90 appearances across all competitions and won three consecutive Swiss Super League titles after breaking into the first-team setup at St Jakob-Park back in 2014, has signed a five-year deal for an undisclosed fee that The Guardian believe to be in the region of €25m (£20.3m).

Reacting to his arrival, Schalke sporting director Christian Heidel said: "In Breel Embolo, we have been able to bring in a highly talented attacker, who already has a lot of international experience and was also in demand at several other top European clubs."

A quick, skillful and powerfully built young prospect who admittedly struggled to impress in a predominantly supporting role at the European Championships, Embolo had previously been strongly linked with a move to Bundesliga newcomers RB Leipzig.

Arsenal, Barcelona and Wolfsburg have also been credited with an interest in the past, while Sport Bild claimed last week that new Manchester United boss Jose Mourinho was keen to take the player to Old Trafford. The German publication suggested that Bayern Munich and Juventus were also among his growing throng of top European suitors.

Schalke appear very proud indeed of their latest acquisition and could not resist goading several of those aforementioned clubs in a tongue in cheek video posted on their official Twitter account.

Embolo joins a Schalke side that missed out on qualification for the Champions League last season after finishing fifth in Germany's top-flight behind Bayern Munich, Borussia Dortmund, Bayer Leverkusen and Borussia Monchengladbach. The Gelsenkirchen-based club will be under new management in 2016/17 after appointing Augsburg's Markus Weinzierl to replace Andre Breitenreiter.