Arsenal have been linked with Schalke’s Julian Draxler occasionally throughout this transfer window, but will face some competition if they decide to make a move for the German international.
Draxler, who scored his first goal of the season for Schalke 04 last weekend, is reportedly attracting interest from Juventus and VfL Wolfsburg, who have sold Arturo Vidal and Kevin de Bruyne (not yet official) respectively this summer.
Though Schalke’s general manager Horst Heldt has dismissed rumours linking the attacking midfielder with a move away, he could still depart Gelsenkirchen this summer as André Breitenreiter’s squad is large and the club, frankly, could do with the money.
According to Tuttosport this week, Arsenal are worried about making a move for Draxler as his injury record remains a concern. Since the start of the 2013/14 season, Draxler has missed 40 Schalke games through injury, but Arsenal could be tempted to do a deal anyway as his stock has fallen and he could be available for €30m (£21m).
Juventus were in talks for the player earlier in the window but seemed unwilling to stump up all that money up front, but now Wolfsburg are in the race as well according to Bild.
The Wolves are set to sell Kevin de Bruyne to Manchester City, while Ivan Perišić could yet move to Internazionale. As a result they will desperately need an attacking midfielder, and will have around €100m to spend on one. Draxler would be more than affordable, should the German cup holders make a move for him, and they would be able to offer more than Arsenal are prepared to as the window draws to a close.
Arsène Wenger said on Thursday that the club have specific targets in mind and, with prior interest well documented, it wouldn’t come as a huge shock if Draxler was one of those players.