Football: Schalke tempt van der Vaart

BERLIN: Bundesliga side Schalke 04 are on the trail of Tottenham’s attacking midfielder Rafael van der Vaart. “I can confirm that Schalke are interested in signing van der Vaart,” said the Dutch international’s agent. Van der Vaart, who has a contract with Spurs until June 2014, said that he would not rule out moving to Germany. “For now, I’m staying with Tottenham, but in football you can never say what’s going to happen,” said the attacking midfielder. In contrast to Spurs, who finished fourth in the Premier League but will lose out on a Champions League place after Chelsea’s recent triumph against Bayern Munich, Schalke are assured a place in the competition next season. Van der Vaart is also seen as a perfect replacement for Spanish star Raul, who will play in Qatar next season, and one who would link up well with compatriot Klaas-Jan Huntelaar, Bundesliga’s top-scorer last season.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 1^st, 2012.