Bayer Leverkusen hold an interest in Sead Kolasinac this summer, joining Schalke as the rumours about a return to Germany gather pace.

WATFORD, ENGLAND - SEPTEMBER 15: Sead Kolasinac of Arsenal looks on during the Premier League match between Watford FC and Arsenal FC at Vicarage Road on September 15, 2019 in Watford, United Kingdom. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)
WATFORD, ENGLAND: Sead Kolasinac of Arsenal looks on during the Premier League match on September 15, 2019. (Photo by Julian Finney/Getty Images)

Sead Kolasinac wants to return to Schalke, most likely taking a pay cut on a split-salary loan deal with an option to buy, according to reports in Germany. However, Bayer Leverkusen are also in the race for the left-back.

Bild claim Schalke plan to sign Sead Kolasinac on an initial one-year loan deal with an option to buy. Kolasinac would accept a pay cut to €5m-a-year, almost half his current wages, and Arsenal would split that €5m with Schalke for the season.

But that obviously relies on Arsenal willingly giving up the player for a year, receiving no transfer fee and continuing to pay a portion of his wages. Albeit a relatively small portion of what they’re currently paying him.

None of that looks like being a problem for Kolasinac himself. As long as they make him club captain and his salary increases when their economic situation does, he’s happy.

After three meetings between the 27-year-old and Schalke director Jochen Schneider, the Arsenal defender is desperate for the move. If Leverkusen are willing to match Arsenal’s demands, however, the Gunners might push him that way instead.

Bild report that Kolasinac wrote in a message to a close confidante: “Anything that goes, try – just anything! I just want to go home and that the stadium explodes when we announce it.”

kolasinac v manchester united
LONDON, ENGLAND: Sead Kolasinac of Arsenal in action during the Premier League match on January 01, 2020. (Photo by Clive Mason/Getty Images)

Last week, Sky Sport Germany also put AS Roma in the race for his signature. Those links appear to be dying down right now, even though the Serie A club are the more likely to be able to afford the permanent deal Arsenal would surely prefer.

It’s very possible Kolasinac is pushing the Schalke links, preferring a return to a club he knows.

It’s worth mentioning that the English media are still staying pretty quiet on this deal. Ever since Mark Mann-Bryans suggested there were no ongoing talks for Kolasinac, we haven’t had any exclusives from other reliable sources.

For the time being, Kolasinac is still featuring for Arsenal. He came off the bench in the Community Shield over the weekend before joining up with Bosnia and Herzegovina for their UEFA Nations League matches during the international break.