Kevin-Prince Boateng is set to see out the remainder of his contract with Schalke after failing to find a new club this summer.
Boateng, 28, was suspended indefinitely by the Gelsenkirchen club along with Sidney Sam in May, with the club's director of sport Horst Heldt saying in June that there would be no way back for the pair this term.
A move to Sporting Lisbon broke down, while the Ghana international is reportedly reluctant to join a club in the Middle East.
His agent Edoardo Crnjar said the most likely option for him was to remain with Schalke until his contract expires next summer, but there does not appear to be any sign of the Royal Blues reintegrating him into their first-team squad. "He's going to stay with Schalke," Crnjar told Gemany's Bild newspaper.
Boateng could still join a club in the United Arab Emirates or Qatar, whose transfer deadlines have yet to pass. Otherwise the next opportunity Schalke have of moving him on will come in January.
Boateng is reportedly keen on a return to Serie A, where he played with AC Milan prior to joining Schalke and where his fiancee Melissa Satta lives, but there were no offers for him from Italian clubs this summer.
Credit: ESPN