Newcastle United confirm Nabil Bentaleb signing - and reveal summer option

Newcastle United have confirmed the signing of Algeria international Nabil Bentaleb on a loan deal from Schalke 04 – with the option to make the deal permanent in the summer.

By Miles Starforth

Published 21st Jan 2020, 13:51 BST- 1 min read

Updated 21st Jan 2020, 14:00 BST

Nabil Bentaleb of FC Schalke 04, has signed on loan.

Bentaleb is Steve Bruce’s first January signing, the 25-year-old midfielder has previously played in the top flight with Tottenham Hotspur.

Bentaleb represented his country at the 2014 FIFA World Cup and the 2015 and 2017 Africa Cup of Nations.

On signing for Newcastle, he said: “I'm very happy to come back to the Premier League, especially with a club such as Newcastle.

"The project really interested me. I wanted absolutely to come back to the Premier League. The coach had some trust in me and the club also - I saw that straight away - and I think it's the perfect move for me."

A club statement read: “He made 66 appearances for the North London club - scoring his only goal against Newcastle in a League Cup tie in December 2014 - before moving to Schalke, initially on loan, in August 2016.

“Bentaleb has made 97 appearances for the Bundesliga side, scoring 19 times, and has played in the Champions League for Die Königsblauen.”