Appiah Schalke move off

The proposed transfer of Ghana midfielder Stephen Appiah to Schalke is not happening, according to Schalke team boss Andreas Mueller.

The 26-year-old Fenerbahce man is keen on a move back to England and Germany but interest from Schalke, Arsenal, Portsmouth, West Ham and Celtic has been rebuffed by the Turks, who are holding out for more than the 8 million they paid for him in 2005.

And as part of the deal to take Appiah to the Bundesliga runners-up, Fenerbahce wanted Germany striker Kevin Kuranyi in exchange, something Mueller is not prepared to sanction.

"We are not going to restart negotiations," Mueller declared. "As a result of the Fenerbahce executive committee's demands, Schalke decided to terminate the whole Appiah affair.

"[Kuranyi] is one of the key players in our squad and a lynchpin of the team. We understand that this is a decision from Fenerbahce, one that we must accept."

A replacement for Kuranyi would cost between eight and 10 million euros. Fenerbahce's current contract with Appiah runs until 2010.