Schalke 04 have confirmed they are to sell defender Thilo Kehrer to Paris Saint-Germain, in a deal set to be worth €37 million.

The news came soon after they announced that boss Domenico Tedesco had signed a new contract, running until 2022, after leading them to second in the Bundesliga last season.

PSG snap up Kehrer as Boateng alternative?

The 21-year-old defender Kehrer has impressed for the Royal Blues since making his debut in 2016. By the end of the 2016-17 season he was a regular starter and he was a key component of Tedesco’s three-man defence last season as the club finished second in the Bundesliga.

His move to France has come out of the blue though, with Thomas Tuchel’s PSG seemingly deciding to opt for Kehrer rather than a more expensive move for Bayern Munich’s Jérôme Boateng, who has been linked with the club in recent weeks.

Christian Heidel, Schalke’s Sporting Director, confirmed the news at a press conference on Sunday, explaining that the club had opted to sell the playing “on financial ground,” given that Kehrer’s existing contract with the club was due to expire next summer. However, he also said that they “had actually agreed a contract extension” with the player, with Heidel “sure” he would have signed it if the offer from PSG hadn’t materialised.

There has been no confirmation as yet from PSG.

Tedesco ‘looking forward’ to taking team further

There was some good news for Schalke fans on Sunday though, with Tedesco signing an extension to a deal that had been set to run out at the end of the season. His first season with the club had been a real success, returning them to the top four and the UEFA Champions League for the first time in three years, as well as taking them to the semi-finals of the DFB-Pokal.

“Continuity is an important fundamental for the goals we have set ourselves in the coming years,” explained Heidel. He said that the club were “delighted” to have found Tedesco, describing him as a “footballing tutor” who had “taken on board… everything that Schalke is about.”

Tedesco himself added that he has felt “completely at home” at Schalke, and that he loves “working with this team,” who he feels “are always ready to take the next step so that we can develop ourselves on a sporting level.” He added that he is “really looking forward to being part of the Royal Blue family for the coming years.”

Quotes via Schalke 04.