Berlin (AFP) – Germany’s World Cup winner Benedikt Hoewedes is set to join Italian champions Juventus on Wednesday in a hastily arranged transfer after being stripped of the captaincy at Schalke.
Juventus confirmed via the club’s official Twitter account that Hoewedes was in Turin for a medical check.
According to German media reports, the 29-year-old centre back is set to sign a one-year loan deal, which will cost Juventus four million euros ($4.7m), with an option to buy for 14 million euros if the transfer works out.
After ten years and 240 appearances for the Gelsenkirchen-based club, Hoewedes’ departure is extremely hasty.
Having been Schalke’s club skipper since 2011, Hoewedes was suddenly stripped of the captaincy by new coach Domenico Tedesco and left on the bench for the Royal Blues’ first two league games this season.
Tedesco, 31, praised Hoewedes for his professional attitude, but it was clear the pair did not see eye-to-eye given their respective body language on the Schalke bench.
The German club could no longer guarantee the first-team football to ensure he is part of the Germany squad for next year’s World Cup.
Hoewedes was one of the few to play every minute of Germany’s seven matches on their way to winning the title in Brazil in 2014.
