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Sami Khedira appears set to disappoint Arsenal fans having agreed a move back to Germany with Bundesliga side Schalke.
The World Cup winning Real Madrid midfielder is out of contract this summer and, according to Spanish newspaper Marca , has agreed a deal with Schalke, although it won't be made official until June.
Khedira has been a long-term target of Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger, with the Gunners reportedly agreeing a move in the summer, only to hit a road block over the value of his wages.
Show all 10 1 /10The 10 biggest deals that DIDN'T happen The 10 biggest deals that DIDN'T happen Arturo Vidal Despite repeated denials from both the player and Juventus, this one just refused to go away. Perhaps it was because Manchester United were his main suitor, and considering they were ready to break the British transfer record for Angel Di Maria and do a deal for Radamel Falcao suggested it was wrong to rule anything out when it came to United this summer. However, in this case, it should have been.
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The 10 biggest deals that DIDN'T happen Sami Khedira Will he, won’t he, will he, won’t he? One year remaining on his contract and some brilliant performances at the World Cup set this one up perfectly. Real Madrid manager Carlo Ancelotti even revealed he wasn't prepared to sign a new deal at the Bernabeu. Arsenal were the club most consistently linked but it seems the German will see out his deal instead (and then probably join Bayern Munich next summer).
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The 10 biggest deals that DIDN'T happen Marco Reus One of the world’s best young players, Reus was linked with just about every major European club. Manchester United and Liverpool were supposed to be leading the race in England, whilst Bayern Munich, Real Madrid and several other clubs came into the mix. Reports suggest Reus has a relatively low release clause that will be triggered next summer - leading to suggestions Borussia Dortmund would cash in now. They didn't - but expect lots of talk next summer.
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The 10 biggest deals that DIDN'T happen Mats Hummels This deal appeared to be dead after Jurgen Klopp said he had no intention to sell and made the World Cup hero his club captain. But rumours for the German centre-back continued to swirl and given United's defensive woes – Tyler Blackett is not the answer – it was of little surprise.
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The 10 biggest deals that DIDN'T happen Edinson Cavani Surely Cavani will move to the Premier League at some point - the rumours have been going on for years - but it wasn't to be this summer. The Uruguay international is apparently unhappy in Ligue 1, despite scoring 25 goals for PSG last season. That led to rumours linking him with every decent Premier League side.
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The 10 biggest deals that DIDN'T happen Petr Cech The return of Thibaut Courtois from his loan spell at Atletico Madrid led to speculation Chelsea goalkeeper Petr Cech would be on his way out of Stamford Bridge. Jose Mourinho said he wanted the Czech Republic international to stay - and that's exactly what happened.
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The 10 biggest deals that DIDN'T happen Victor Valdes When Valdes said he wouldn't be signing a new deal with Barcelona, speculation over his next move went into overdrive. Yet with the window coming to a close he's still yet to find a new club. Because he's a free agent, Valdes is still free to find a new club and could be on his way to Liverpool.
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The 10 biggest deals that DIDN'T happen William Carvalho A few teams were in need of defensive midfielders this summer and Carvalho is one of the best - cue transfer speculation. Arsenal, Chelsea, Manchester United and Manchester City were linked with the Portugal international. He said he wasn't interested in leaving Sporting Lisbon, and in a refreshing twist, it turned out Carvalho was a man of his word.
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The 10 biggest deals that DIDN'T happen Lukas Podolski Much of the summer focus has been on the lack of attacking options at Arsenal. That didn't stop one of those already there being persistently linked with a move away. World Cup winner Posolski was in and out of the side last season and played out of position, leading to talk of a return to Germany.
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The 10 biggest deals that DIDN'T happen Fabio Borini Having been sent out on loan to Sunderland last season and an influx of players arriving at Anfield, it seemed Borini was certain to leave Anfield. QPR and Sunderland in particular were in the mix but amid accusations of crazy wage demands the striker stayed put. He said after the close of the window that he was: 'VERY happy with myself'.
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According to the paper, 27-year-old Khedira has now rejected a move to the Premier League because he wants to move back to his homeland after five years in Spain.
Khedira had also been attracting the attention of Chelsea and Bayern Munich.
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