Schalke sign midfielder Roman Neustadter

Bundesliga side Schalke 04 have signed defensive midfielder Roman Neustadter on a four-year contract from rivals Borussia Moenchengladbach, the buying club announced on Tuesday.

Neustadter, 23, has been at Moenchengladbach since 2009 but told the club, for whom he has played in all 17 of their league matches this term, that he did not want to renew his contract.

Moenchengladbach ended Schalke's hopes of retaining the German Cup in December but the Royal Blues currently lie third in the Bundesliga, three points off leaders Bayern Munich and one ahead of Gladbach.

Neustadter's signing will bring some cheer to Moenchengladbach fans, who suffered a blow earlier this month when it was announced that their star attacking midfielder Marco Reus would leave at the end of the season for 2011 champions Borussia Dortmund.