Kolasinac faces Arsenal RETURN as Schalke announce they cannot afford him

Sead Kolasinac is facing a return to Arsenal after his loan club Schalke announced they could not afford to keep the left-back for another season.

The 27-year-old joined the Bundesliga's bottom club on a six-month loan in January along with fellow Gunners man Shkodran Mustafi, but neither of the defenders could do anything to stop the Gelsenkirchen club from being relegated to the second tier.

Mustafi, who joined on a six-month permanent contract, was let go by Schalke last month and the German club have now announced that Kolasinac and other January arrival Klaas-Jan Huntellaar will be leaving as well.

Sporting director Peter Knabel said: 'This decision hurts us both in sport and human terms. In view of the current budget and squad structure - all the known and publicly discussed challenges - there was no alternative.

'We have to be so honest. In view of the short preparation and the early start of the season, we cannot afford a week-long hang-up game either, but have to make decisions for Schalke 04 now. That's why we decided on this clear cut.

Kolasinac has one-year left on his Arsenal contract and is set to return to north London unless a new club does not come in for his services.

Mikel Arteta sanctioned a move for the defender without finding a left-back replacement, meaning Granit Xhaka and Cedric Soares were shoehorned into the role when Kieran Tierney picked up an injury late in the campaign.

The Bosnian left the Emirates Stadium in January with just one Premier League appearance to his name all season and made 17 more outings int the German top-flight, but Schalke only won two of those games.

The relegation of the Royal Blues, who are one of the founding members of the Bundesliga and are commonly known as the second-largest team in Germany, mean they will play second tier football for the first time since 1988.

The left-back joined Arsenal from Schalke on a free transfer in the summer of 2017 and has made 113 appearances for the Gunners in all competitions during that time.

In his north London career, he helped Arsenal win the FA Cup in 2020 and lifted two Community Shield titles as well.