Bayern Munich star Sebastian Rudy is looking to force his way out of the club just 12 months after arriving in Bavaria after falling down the pecking order in the club's congested midfield, according to reports.
There has been endless speculation surrounding a move for the former TSG Hoffenheim star this summer, with rumours ranging from a return to boyhood club VfB Stuttgart to, most recently, a big money switch to RB Leipzig.
Despite seeing Arturo Vidal leave the club this summer, Leon Goretzka's arrival from Schalke 04 and Renato Sanches' return from a loan spell with Swansea City has pushed Rudy out of contention for a place in Niko Kovač's squad.
"The chances of me staying are slim," Rudy admitted to Kicker ahead of Bayern Munich's win over Hoffenheim in the first game of the new Bundesliga season.
Although there has been no concrete interest in the midfielder so far during the summer transfer window, Rudy has revealed that a surprise could be in store before deadline day and there has been speculation surrounding a move to Schalke, which could be completed as early as Monday.
Domenico Tedesco's side are in need of reinforcements after the aforementioned Goretzka, as well as Max Meyer, left the Veltins-Arena on free transfers at the end of the 2017/18 season.
Sebastian Rudy on the fringes at Bayern but the kind of player who would help another Bundesliga side considerably. Schalke likeliest destination if he leaves. Hope it happens.
— Derek Rae (@RaeComm) August 23, 2018
Omar Mascarell and Suat Serdar have joined their ranks to help plug the gap in midfield, while Johannes Geis has returned from a loan spell with Sevilla, but the arrival of Rudy would help push Schalke even closer to challenging for the Bundesliga title this season.