Harit an option for Schalke

Cape Town - Schalke sporting director Christian Heidel has confirmed that Nantes midfielder Amine Harit is one of many options they are exploring.

The 19-year-old enjoyed a productive debut season at La Beaujoire-Louis Fonteneau after graduating from the youth academy in 2016, making 30 appearances in Ligue 1 and another four in the cup competitions.

Arsenal reportedly had Harit scouted in the latter stages of the campaign, but they face opposition from the Royal Blues, who have now expressed an interest in the France youth international.

Markus Weinzierl is looking to inject new blood into his squad after a disappointing 2016/17 saw them finish 10th in the league standings, as they recovered from a dreadful start to proceedings having lost their first five games.

Heidel told Kicker: "Harit is a very interesting player. He is one of a number of options.

"We will have to look at how realistic a transfer is from a financial perspective."