Schalke coach Roberto Di Matteo has reaffirmed the Royal Blues' interest in signing Manchester City centre-back Matija Nastasic.
Despite having several options in central defence, Di Matteo wants to reinforce his squad during the winter break and has singled out 21-year-old Serbia international Nastasic as a key target.
"Nastasic is an interesting player, very talented and experienced despite his young age -- but he still belongs to Manchester City," the former Chelsea boss told a Schalke supporters' club meeting on Sunday in quotes reported by Bild.
#INSERT type:image caption:Nastasic could be on his way to the Bundesliga. END#
Schalke hope to take Nastasic on loan until the end of the season and want to include an option to make the move permanent, confirming their interest in the player last week.
However, kicker reported that the Bundesliga club and City have yet to agree a loan deal for the left-footed centre-back. The paper said the Royal Blues could need to go beyond their preferred limit to secure the ex-Fiorentina man's signature.
Earlier, reports in the English media suggested City and Schalke had yet to agree on an option to buy, with the Premier League club looking for 13 million euros and the Bundesliga side willing to offer 10 million.