Schalke signs Hoffenheim striker Mark Uth for next season

Mark Uth runs during a German first division Bundesliga soccer match between TSG 1899 Hoffenheim and Bayern Munich in Sinsheim, Germany. (Michael Probst/AP)

GELSENKIRCHEN, Germany — Schalke has signed striker Mark Uth for next season on a free transfer from Bundesliga rival Hoffenheim.

The Gelsenkirchen-based club says the 26-year-old Uth, whose contract at Hoffenheim expires at the end of the season, is getting a four-year deal through June 2022.

Schalke sporting director Christian Heidel says, "Uth is the most dangerous German forward in the Bundesliga at the moment and will improve our options in attack drastically from the summer. We’re delighted we could win him for Schalke."

Uth says the move is the "right step" for him after three seasons at Hoffenheim. He has 28 goals in 72 competitive games for his current club, with nine league goals so far this season.

The Cologne-born forward joined Hoffenheim in 2015 from Dutch side Heerenveen, which he joined in 2012 after failing to break into Cologne’s first team.

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