Schalke make Nastasic loan move permanent

Schalke 04 have signed Serbian defender Matija Nastasic on a long-term contract until 2019, making permanent his loan move from Manchester City, the Bundesliga club said on Wednesday.

“I am proud and happy to remain a Schalke player,” the 21-year-old said in a club statement.

The deal comes a day after Schalke beat Real Madrid 4-3 in the Spanish capital but missed out on a Champions League last eight spot after their 2-0 loss in the first leg.

The tall defender joined City as a teenager in 2012 on a five-year deal but was unable to force his way into Manuel Pellegrini's side having previously impressed as a regular under former manager Roberto Mancini. In total he made 32 appearances for the club after joining from Italian side Fiorentina.

Nastasic made just one appearance for City this season, in the 3-0 Community Shield defeat by Arsenal in August. He joined Schalke in January and the club currently sit in fifth place in the German league, three points of third place.