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Schalke sign midfielder Bentaleb

Chuck PenfoldAugust 25, 2016

Schalke have obtained the services of Algerian national team player Nabil Bentaleb, who has come to the Bundesliga on a one-year loan. They are also reportedly close to signing French midflelder Benjamin Stambouli.

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Nabil Bentaleb von Tottenham Hotspur
Image: picture-alliance/dpa/M.Müller

A statement posted on Schalke's website on Thursday said that the 21-year-old Bentaleb had competed his medical at the club a week ago and that after weeks of negotiations, the two clubs had finally gotten the deal done.

"We are pleased that Nabil Bentaleb has decided to join us," Schalke's board member responsible for sport, Christian Heidel, said. "He is an aggressive midfielder, who is strong in the tackle, and will provide head coach Markus Weinzierl with more options."

"I am really looking forward to the challenge at Schalke," Bentaleb said. "Schalke, with their great fans, are also recognized in England as a big club…. I am really happy and want to help the team achieve their goals.

Since being promoted to Tottenham's first team from the North London club's academy in 2013, Bentaleb has made 45 appearances in the Premier League and 19 for the Algerian national team.

Schmid joins Augsburg, Esswein leaves for Berlin

On Friday morning, Augsburg announced the signing of forward Jonathan Schmid from Hoffenheim. The Frenchman inked a four-year deal that runs until 2020.

Augsburg also announced the departure of forward Alexander Esswein. He's headed to Hertha Berlin in the German capital. No details were given about transfer fees for either of the deals.

Four-year contract for Stambouli

At a press conference on Thursday, Heidel also announced that Schalke were close to signing Benjamin Stambouli from Paris St. Germain. Heidel said Stambouli completed his medical on Thursday and the club is awaiting the results.

The fee for the former Tottenham Hotspur midfielder is reportedly about 8 million euros.

Mainz make move for Öztunali

Elsewhere, Bayer Leverkusen allowed attacking midfielder Levin Öztunali to join Mainz for an undisclosed fee.

The 20-year-old came through the ranks at hometown club Hamburg before moving to Leverkusen for somewhere in the region of 1.2 million euros. He spent most of last season on loan at Werder Bremen where his 25 league appearances were enough to persuade Mainz to secure his signature.