Schalke sign Bundesliga winner Edin Džeko from Fiorentina
Schalke have completed the signing of veteran Bosnia-Herzegovina striker Edin Džeko from Italian club Fiorentina.
Džeko has played in Germany before, famously winning the 2008/09 Bundesliga title with Wolfsburg. The 39-year-old, who has also represented Manchester City - where he lifted two English Premier League titles - Roma, Inter Milan and Fenerbahçe, has signed a deal with the current Bundesliga 2 leaders until the end of the season.
“After our initial contact, Edin made it clear very quickly just how keen he was on the move. With Edin, we’re bringing in a striker who has performed at the very highest level throughout his career," said Youri Mulder, Schalke's director of professional football.
"Alongside his experience as a leader, our team will benefit from his abilities as a target man and goalscorer. He showed very clearly how hungry he is for a successful second half of the season with us during our conversations, and we’re really looking forward to that.”
Džeko played a bit-part role after moving to Fiorentina from Fenerbahçe in October 2025, but has a proven track record in front of goal at the highest level. He has scored 66 goals in 111 Bundesliga appearances, 50 in 130 Premier League outings, 107 in 279 Serie A games and 31 across 75 Turkish SüperLig matches, as well as 29 in 75 UEFA Champions League fixtures.
The Bosnia-Herzegovina captain - who topped the Bundesliga and Serie A scoring charts in 2009/10 and 2016/17, respectively - has also struck 72 times in 146 senior internationals, including five during FIFA World Cup 2026 qualifying to help his country qualify for the upcoming European play-offs.
Watch: Džeko's top 5 Bundesliga goals
“From the moment there was interest, I took a very close look at Schalke and watched several matches. My discussions with the club, with head coach Miron Muslić and, of course, with Nikola Katić, were very positive,” explained Džeko.
“It’s impressive to see how the team has developed this season after some difficult years. Now I want to give everything so that we can be successful together in the second half of the campaign. I’m really looking forward to my first home match at a sold-out VELTINS-Arena.”
Džeko could make his Bundesliga 2 debut when Schalke host Kaiserslautern on 25 January. The Royal Blues are four points clear at the top of the standings after 18 rounds of fixtures. They have been playing in Germany's second tier since their second relegation from the Bundesliga in two years at the end of 2022/23.
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