Clubs queue up as Rabbi looks set to come home

WALES international Rabbi Matondo could be set for a return to English football in January, with a host of clubs looking to complete a loan move.

The Western Mail understands a number of clubs in the Premier League and the Championship have shown an interest in the former Cardiff City prospect, and a move away from Germany, where his club Schalke are currently propping up the Bundesliga table, increasingly likely.

Premier League duo Brighton and Hove Albion and Crystal Palace are among the top-flight clubs keen on taking him on board, while secondtier sides Bournemouth and Watford are also keeping tabs on the situation, along with teams on the continent.

Serie A giants Atalanta remain keen admirers, but a move to Italy is looking looks unlikely due to the effects of Brexit and the country’s rules over non-EU players. The nature of the current landscape means that a return to England, nearly two years after the player left Manchester City, now looks the most likely.

Matondo, who was recently linked with moves to Manchester United and Real Madrid, has seen his future come in for speculation for some time, and came close to leaving

Schalke for an unnamed Bundesliga outfit towards the end of the previous window, only for the deal to collapse at the eleventh hour due to the sacking of boss David Wagner.

A chaotic season for the league’s basement boys saw Manuel Bahm installed as boss at the end of September, before he too was sacked, with club legend Huub Steven coming in to take charge of their last two games of 2020.