Schalke new boy Hamza Mendyl has conceded that work permit concerns blocked his chances of moving to England this summer despite interest from Arsenal and Newcastle United.
The Bundesliga club have snapped up the 20-year-old talented left-back from French outfit Lille this summer for a fee of around €6m despite interest from clubs across Europe.
Mendy revealed that Arsenal were interested in taking him to England and even Newcastle were considering signing him, but he decided against moving to the Premier League.
The 20-year-old added that it would have been complicated to get a work permit to move to England, indicating joining Schalke was the easier choice for him at an early stage of his career.
He told German daily Bild: “Yes, there were offers from Arsenal and Newcastle United.
“The clubs were interested.
“But being a Moroccan, it would not have been easy to get a work permit in England.”
Mendyl, who already has 13 caps to his name for Morocco, is looking to take the next step in his career with Schalke in the top tier of German football.
He signed a five-year contract with the Ruhr giants.
