Sami Khedira confirms Real Madrid exit

Sami Khedira has confirmed that he will leave Real Madrid at the end of the season. The German has been expected to leave for pastures new after failing to agree a new contract at the Santiago Bernabeu and he has made his departure official in an interview with German magazine Kicker. "It’s not a decision against Real Madrid. I want to find new challenges for my career and continue to grow as a player,” the former Stuttgart man told the magazine. “I don’t have an agreement with any club nor any preferences as to who I would like to join,” he added. Bundesliga club Schalke are amongst the clubs chasing the player's signature, so much so that Spanish television channel Cuatro said that Madrid would not use the player again this season on the request of the Gelsenkirchen club as to not risk injury. Premier League duo Arsenal and Chelsea have also been linked with the World Cup winner, who arrived at Madrid in 2010.