Schalke sporting director Horst Heldt insists that the club's transfer policy is not based around signing Sami Khedira from Real Madrid and stated his view that competition for the midfielder will be fierce.
Khedira has signalled his intent to leave Real Madrid when his contract expires at the end of June in search of a new challenge.
The Germany international has been linked with a whole host of clubs, including Arsenal and Bayern Munich, but Schalke are pulling out all the stops to tempt him to the Veltins Arena, even though it has been suggested they may be scuppered if they cannot offer Champions League football.
If they do not succeed then their transfer strategy will not have been sunk though, Heldt claims.
He told Sport Bild: "Decisions on individual players do not depend on whether we get into the Champions League. As we have always done, we will assess whether a transfer of this calibre is even realistic.
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"In the end, there are obvious things that speak to our advantage and other things that talk to other clubs' advantage.
"We are not the only club interested in signing Khedira", Heldt added.
Khedira, 27, left his homeland to join Real Madrid from Stuttgart in the summer of 2010.
In Spain the midfielder has won one Champions League, one La Liga, two Copa del Reys, one UEFA Super Cup, one FIFA World Club Cup and one Spanish Super Cup.
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