Neuer could stay longer in Schalke: chairman

Posted Sunday, May 22, 2011 by YAHOO Sport

Germany goalkeeper Manuel Neuer's transfer from Schalke to Bayern Munich is still far from complete and he may stay in Gelsenkirchen for another year, Royal Blues' chairman Clemens Toennies has said.

Neuer led Schalke to their fifth German Cup title on Saturday with a 5-0 demolition of second-division Duisburg at Berlin's Olympic Stadium in what could prove to be his last game for the Royal Blues.

The 25-year-old has told Schalke he will not renew his contract, which expires in June 2012, and Bayern are in talks with the Royal Blues to sign him before next season, but Toennies said the deal is far from complete.

"We still have one or two other considerations and it may well be that he will remain a year," Toennies told German television channel ARD.

"I think that over the next week a decision will be announced.

"He is a key player, so we are not making it easy."

Schalke's director of sport Horst Heldt said the offer on the table from Bayern—reported to be around 25 million euros for a four-year contract—will not be renegotiated.

"Now we have to make a decision," he said.

Neuer has said he was in the dark about where he will play next season.

"I have no idea and I can't say when an announcement will be made, because I have no information and I am also waiting to hear," said Neuer after celebrating his first title with Schalke.

Schalke coach Ralf Rangnick, who took charge in March after Felix Magath's sacking, said he resisted any urges to replace Neuer in the cup finals closing stages to send out a clear message.

"I rejected the idea in the last few minutes of sending on our replacement goalkeeper Mathias Schober, because I didn't want to give the impression we are getting a new player ready," he said.

With Schalke having recently signed a lucrative contract extension to their sponsorship deal with Russian energy supplier Gazprom, Toennies said Neuer had a very influential fan in Russian Prime Minister Vladimir Putin.

"I can only say that the Prime Minister is a big fan of Manuel Neuer and Gazprom also has a strong interest in us keeping him," he said.