Maccabi Haifa defender Lisav Eissat draws interest from Schalke and Romanian clubs

Maccabi Haifa and Romania defender Lisav Eissat is attracting attention from several European teams after his breakout season. The first reported suitor was Schalke 04, the newly promoted Bundesliga club, and reports in Romania say top local clubs are also following him. Those around the player say he wants to move to a higher-level league rather than return to Romania.

Eissat signed a new contract with Maccabi Haifa only a few months ago, and it includes a release clause of 2.5 million euros. Haifa would like him to stay for at least one more season after he established himself as a leading center back this year.

Haifa's current center-back situation is still unsettled. Noam Stipman and Sean Goldberg have extended their contracts, Pedro is having trouble returning to full fitness, and Elad Amir traveled to England for a knee examination and could be sidelined for a long period. Radinio Balker is expected to become the main center back in place of Abdoulaye Seck once Haifa completes his signing.