Gelsenkirchen club Schalke 04 have blocked a move by Sparta Prague to sign midfielder Jiri Nemec.
Czech Republic captain Nemec was voted into ninth place in the Czech writers' poll for their player of the year and had been approached by Sparta to return to the club he left in 1993. Schalke have one more Bundesliga match before the winter break starts next week.
Schalke have announced that the player can leave in the summer - with Slavia Prague his likely destination - on a free transfer but he was due to stay with Schalke to complete the Bundesliga season.
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