Kaan Ayhan signs professional terms
19.01.2012
FC Schalke 04 have secured the services of youth-team player Kaan Ayhan for the foreseeable future. The versatile midfielder has signed a two-year contract with the Royal Blues from 1 July 2013 until 30 June 2015. 
Ayhan, 17, has been with the club since 1999, and is one of the top performers for Schalke's Under-19s, who currently top the Bundesliga West.
"We are delighted to have signed Kaan Ayhan on a long-term contract as he is another home-grown talent who has come through the ranks," general manager Horst Heldt explained. "Kaan is an exciting prospect and we will be working with him over the next few years to ensure he continues to develop his game," said Oliver Ruhnert, head of Schalke's Under-17 to Under-23 teams.
Born in Gelsenkirchen, Ayhan featured in every Under-19 league match before the winter break, scoring four goals. The 1.83 metre tall midfielder has progressed from Schalke's youth academy to represent Germany at youth level. In 2011 he was in the Germany Under-17 side that finished runners-up at the European Championship and was also part of the team that finished third at the U-17 World Cup in Mexico.
