Highly rated Turkish defender Ozan Kabak has joined Schalke from Bundesliga 2 side VfB Stuttgart.

The 19-year-old agreed a five-year deal that will keep him at the Veltins Arena until 2024 after impressing in the second half of the 2018/19 season at Stuttgart.

“We’re very happy to have been able to bring one of the biggest young talents in Europe to Schalke 04. Ozan Kabak made a conscious choice to join us despite competition from a number of other clubs,” said sporting director Jochen Schneider.

Watch: Kabak’s top 5 slide tackles

Kabak arrived at Stuttgart in January 2019 after making just 13 appearances in the Turkish Super Lig for Galatasaray. He soon settled into life in Germany and swiftly became an established member of the first team, making 15 Bundesliga outings for Stuttgart.

Strong, athletic and already famed for his no-nonsense tackling, Kabak also poses a threat at the other end of the pitch, netting three times in Germany already. At Schalke, he is likely to be a key member of David Wagner's defence in the new head coach's first season at the helm.

Kabak becomes Schalke's third summer signing, after Jonjoe Kenny and Bernard Tekpetey joined the club.

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