Speaking to Kicker on Monday, Schalke 04 Head of Sports Jochen Schneider admitted it's now much more difficult to secure a permanent deal for Jean-Clair Todibo.
"You don't have to be a prophet to say that the likelihood has decreased as a result of the current crisis," the club official noted.
Interestingly, things were different less than two weeks ago when 'die Knappen' were said to be ready to trigger the Frenchman's €25m buyout clause.
Schalke's potential refusal to offer Todibo a long-term contract could actually turn into big news for Barcelona. The 20-year-old has had a striking campaign in the Bundesliga so far while Barca's backline is far from perfect these days.
In fact, the centre-back won Schalke's Player of the Month award in February. Todibo's performances have become particularly pleasing after he was given much gametime at VELTINS-Arena.
Todibo's fabulous numbers at S04 (per game) so far:
2.2 interceptions
2 tackles
4.2 clearances
0.8 dribbles
0.2 key passes
39.2 accurate passes
Todibo joined Barca from Toulouse for €1m back in January 2019. During his a season-and-a-half spell at Camp Nou, the U20 French international made only five appearances.