Schalke still hope to convince defender Joel Matip to stay at the Veltins Arena despite suggestions he is set to join Liverpool.
Matip, 24, has been with Schalke since July 2000 but he has entered the final six months of his current contract and multiple media reports have claimed he has agreed terms with a Premier League club.
Clemens Tonnies, Schalke's chairman of the supervisory board, said this week that claims the Cameroon international had already agreed a deal with Liverpool were a "hoax," and the club's sporting executive, Horst Heldt, said at a news conference on Thursday that he would fight to retain the player.
"I can't confirm that an agreement has been made with Liverpool regarding Matip," he said, adding that he still has "hope that Matip will opt to stay with us."
Under-fire Schalke coach Andre Breitenreiter said he is also keen to retain Matip, who has impressed as the club's senior defender in the absence of captain Benedikt Howedes.
"I hope he stays with us," Breitenreiter said. "He is a cornerstone of the team, an outstanding player and a special person."