German Bundesliga giants Schalke 04 are ready to demand a fee of €400,000 before parting ways with Ghana forward Bernard Tekpetey, according to reports in Germany.

Tekpetey joined the Royal Blues prior to the 2016 season from Ghanaian lower division side UniStar Soccer Academy.

The speedy forward, who can also be deployed as winger, announced himself in the side's colours with a superlative performance in the Europa League against Nice, but his development has stalled after making just two appearances before being shipped on loan to Austrian side SCR Altach.

Tekpetey rejoined the Gelsenkirchen outfit after terminating his loan with the Austrian side but failed to force his way into Coach Domenico Tedesco's side as he spent the second half of the campaign on the fringes.

He is reported to have attracted interest from third-tier side SC Paderbon, though the details of the proposed move is unclear, reports suggest that Schalke will be commanding a fee of €400,000 before releasing the player.

Tekpetey missed the side's 1-0 win over Essen in a pre-season friendly encounter on Friday.

He is still under contract with the Royal Blues until 2020.