Schalke confirms Kegrer's transfer to PSG

Berlin : Schalke confirmed on Sunday that it had reached an agreement on the transfer of its centre-back Thilo Kehrer to Paris Saint-Germain.

The Bundesliga side explained on its official website that the agreement on the transfer of the German under-21 national team defender came after weeks-long negotiations with France's Ligue 1 champions, reports Efe.

"In the end, we decided to go for the transfer on financial grounds. Particularly, since the player's contract is due to expire next year," Schalke sporting director Christian Heidel explained.

Heidel thanked Kehrer for the period he spent at Schalke, stressing that the defender "has been loyal" to the Bundesliga side.

German media outlets estimated that Kehrer, who was on the radar of Barcelona, will move to PSG for 37 million euros ($42.2 million).

"If this offer from PSG were not to have come through I'm sure he would have gone ahead with the extension, likewise if we had turned the offer down or in the unlikely event something was to stop this deal going ahead," Heidel added.

Kehrer, 21, will have to pass the medical tests at PSG in order to formalise the transfer.