Kevin-Prince Boateng has finally had his contract with Bundesliga club Schalke terminated, paving the way for a return to AC Milan.
Boateng, 28, has spent the last few months training with the Rossoneri, making a handful of appearances in friendly matches after being given special dispensation to do so by the Gelsenkirchen club.
The Ghana international fell out of favour in Germany towards the end of last season and was frozen out but, after no acceptable bids for him were forthcoming in the summer, Schalke have now chosen to cut their losses by releasing him from the remainder of his contract.
According to reports in Italy, Boateng is set to be given a short-term contract until the end of the season back with the Rossoneri, with a longer deal in prospect if he can impress coach Sinisa Mihajlovic.
He is now free to sign for and play for them after Schalke confirmed on their website he was no longer on their payroll.
#Schalke and @KPBofficial have agreed to terminate the midfielder's contract at the club: https://t.co/UcX1kZMRl2 pic.twitter.com/0fsCvopKfS
- FC Schalke 04 (@s04_en) December 8, 2015
"FC Schalke 04 and Ghana international Kevin-Prince Boateng have decided to mutually terminate his contract at the club," the statement reads. "The terms of the agreement will remain undisclosed."
Boateng joined Schalke from Milan in 2013 and made 46 Bundesliga appearances, scoring a total of seven goals for the Royal Blues. It is a spell in his career that he said he will look back on fondly, despite how it ended, in a message to the Schalke fans on his own Facebook page.
Dear Schalke fans,I would like to thank you for all your support during my time at the club. We had some great times...
Posted by Kevin-Prince Boateng on Tuesday, 8 December 2015
"Dear Schalke fans, I would like to thank you for all your support during my time at the club," he wrote. "We had some great times and some low moments but I will always remember you guys as loyal and crazy.
"No matter what was said about me I was always proud to play for and represent Schalke 04. My experiences at the club has helped me in many ways. Thank you once again and all the best."