Forgotten Spurs star set to seal £16m Schalke switch

Tottenham midfielder Nabil Bentaleb is set to make his loan move to FC Schalke a permanent one, according to reports.

The Daily Mail claim that the 21-year-old is on the verge of securing a £16million permanent move to the Bundesliga side.

Bentaleb is on a season-long loan in Gelsenkirchen and his 20th appearance for them, which could come on Sunday, would trigger a clause to make the move a permanent one.

The Algeria international has been a key contributor for the Royal Blues this season, scoring four goals and impressing despite a turbulent time for the club.

He featured regularly at Spurs under manager Tim Sherwood, but fell out of favour under Mauricio Pochettino having not started a game for them since 2015.

Bentaleb signed for the Tottenham academy in 2012 having been on trial at Birmingham City, and has a total of 66 appearances for the North London side.

Schalke currently sit 11th in the Bundesliga table in what has been a disappointing campaign so far under head coach Markus Weinzierl.