EXCLUSIVE
By Hassan Haji Talib
Lewis Holtby’s agent has confirmed that his client has not demanded a €6 million per year contract from Schalke which is being reported.
The 22-year old will be out of contract in June of next year, and despite negotiations dragging out longer than the player is happy with, the figures being suggesting are completely false.
“These numbers have been plucked from the air,” Noack told Goal.com’s Hassan Haji Talib.
“Ultimately, it was only myself, Horst Heldt and Gerhard Zuber (sports director of Schalke) sitting at the negotiating table. To my knowledge, no media representatives were there, so how would they know?
“The press are building it up more than they should. It could be the club trying to add some pressure because if I put myself in their position, then I can understand that they might want to panic both the player and his agent. We have seen this in the past.”
When asked how Holtby is dealing with the circumstances, Noack explained that although he is affected by the breakdown, his mind is still very focused on playing for the club.
“I would be lying if I said that does not affect him. Lewis and I both know what we spoke about with the club and I am fully convinced that he can be professional about the situation and focus on the his job.”
The Germany international has been linked with a move to the Premier League with Arsenal and Liverpool being potential suitors of die Konigsblauen playmaker, but Schalke will be keen to hold onto their man.