Without a club since leaving Liverpool
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This article was first published on October 10th at 5:33 p.m. and was later updated with an update after the second paragraph.
FC Schalke 04 is apparently once again working on a top-class solution for central defense. As “Bild” reports, those responsible for the second division club were already looking into signing Joel Matip in the summer. According to the paper, there are said to have been good discussions with the 33-year-old, who is out of contract after leaving Liverpool FC.
Matip has decided against returning to his youth club for the time being in order to enjoy the free time with his family. The Schalke homegrown player has already moved back to his homeland and can imagine joining again in the winter. The “Bild” writes that Schalke has the opportunity to get back on track and that a new push by the S04 bosses is planned. It is said that veteran Matip and Schalke are still in contact.
Update October 11th, 6:37 p.m.: According to the “Ruhr Nachrichten”, Matip has quietly and secretly ended his active career. According to the newspaper, it is possible that the professional has not yet publicly announced his departure because he does not want to take himself too seriously. There is by no means any talk of an imminent Schalke comeback.
According to “Bild”, two options are now conceivable: Matip, who is available on a free transfer, receives a longer contract and ends his career with the Knappen or he only plays for Schalke in the second half of the 2024/25 season in order to get in position for a bigger club.
Matip could expand the long list of returnees at the Ruhrpott club. The Bochum-born professional and 27-time Cameroon international played 258 times for the Royal Blues until his free transfer to Liverpool FC in the summer of 2016, managing 23 goals and 14 assists. The right-footer achieved the highest market value of his career at the end of 2019 at LFC, when he was valued at 40 million euros. At 8 million euros, he is currently the world’s most valuable footballer without a contract.
Matip tore a cruciate ligament in December 2023 and has been out injured for Liverpool since then. He played his last of a total of 201 games in eight years on December 3rd – a 4-3 win against Fulham FC. Coach Jürgen Klopp, who also left the Premier League club, said of Matip: “In all the years I’ve been involved in football, I’m not sure I’ve met players who are more loved as Joel Matip. I’m not even sure it would be possible to say anything bad about him. He is a wonderful professional, a wonderful footballer and a wonderful person. We have been lucky to have him with us for so long and now we can only wish him all the best as he sets off in a new direction.” In the summer, Matip was linked with champions Bayer Leverkusen.
