Belgium national team coach Marc Wilmots may move to Schalke

Marc Wilmots

Brussels, May 27 (IANS)

Belgium's national football team coach Marc Wilmots may leave the Red Devils and train German club Schalke 04. Schalke club announced on Tuesday that it was ending its relationship with Italian coach Roberto Di Matteo, who joined the club in October 2014, Efe reported on Tuesday.

Last October, after Wilmots renewed with Belgium until 2018, the board of the German team had thought of him to replace Jens Keller, after a somewhat shaky start of the season by Schalke.

Wilmots has already rejected a recent offer from the German club, which he coached on an interim basis for eight games between April and March 2003, replacing Frank Neubarth.

Wilmots has not acted so far, but last October he stressed that he would not leave the Belgian team before EURO 2016.

Wilmots' contract with Belgium is worth one million euros (roughly $1.09 million), an amount which does not represent an obstacle for a club like Schalke, with a budget of 224 million euros ($244.8 million) for the current season alone.