Schalke’s Raul offered new deal

Schalke has made an offer to former Real Madrid captain Raul Gonzalez to extend his stay with the Bundesliga club.The offer was made via email because there was no time to arrange a meeting between the parties due to their busy schedules, and Schalke general manager Horst Heldt doesn’t expect a response before the end of March.“Raul’s adviser has to consider the offer in peace and quiet and speak to the player about it. It’s agreed that we’ll probably sit down together around the end of March to discuss it,” he said.The 34-year-old, whose contract expires at the end of the season, has scored 25 goals in 56 league appearances for Schalke since his 2010 move from Real Madrid. He has scored 33 goals in all competitions for the German side, including 14 this season.The former Spain captain won the German Cup in his first season with Schalke last year.“Of course he’s a very important player for us,” Heldt said.