Football
PA Sport 8y

Schalke unlikely to lure Mainz general manager Christian Heidel

Mainz's general manager Christian Heidel has further distanced himself from reports he is set to become the new director of sport at Schalke next season.

Heidel is reported to have been targeted by the Gelsenkirchen club to replace Horst Heldt, who has been told that his contract -- which expires in June -- will not be renewed.

Schalke have already asked for permission to speak to Heidel, who still has two years left to run on his current agreement with Mainz, but their chances of succeeding in luring the 52-year-old to them appear increasingly slim.

"You can take it from me that every fibre in my body is faithful to Mainz," Heidel said at a news conference on Thursday, reports sport1.de.

"I say that not only because they are my employers, but because my heart is there."

Heidel has been manager in Mainz since 1992 and is therefore the longest-serving manager both in the club's history and currently in the Bundesliga.

He was responsible for appointing Jurgen Klopp in 2001 and promoting Thomas Tuchel to the position of first-team coach in 2009, while the club's new Coface Arena home was also built during his 23-year reign, which does not now look like it will end in the summer.

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