Arsenal, Chelsea and Manchester City wonder what Julian Draxler is really worth
HOW close did Julian Draxler come to joining Arsenal, Chelsea or Manchester City?
Already we have noted that Press have no idea what Draxler is worth but are happy to report pretty much any figure as fact.
On September 1, the 19-year-old German said:
“I don’t mind people speculating, I’ll let them have their fun. If nothing extraordinary happens, I will be here on Monday. But Schalke could change their mind and say ‘Well, 40 or 30 million euros is not so bad,’ and then I can’t do much about it. If the club absolutely wants to sell me, I will not say ‘No, I want to stay.'”
On September 6, the Express reported:
Schalke’s Julian Draxler reveals reasons for Arsenal and Chelsea snub
Draxler is one of Germany’s brightest young prospects and was linked with a move to Arsenal, Chelsea and Real Madrid over the summer but reports suggest that concerns about how he would settle in at a new team scuppered any move.
He told FIFA: “The World Cup will take place at the end of the season and it always takes time to settle at a new club. In addition, I feel very good at Schalke, although our early season form has been poor.”
But the Mirror said Arsenal were making a £40m offer for him (see above). And he said at that money he would leave.
So. Was there an offer from any of those clubs?
At the start of August Draxler confirmed that he turned down interest from overseas to sign a new contract at Schalke…“In the end, I followed my heart and decided to remain at Schalke.”
FIFA says:
FIFA: “This summer you had several lucrative offers from abroad. What made you stay at Schalke?”
Draxler: “The World Cup’s at the end of the season and you always need time to get used to a new team. On top of that, I’m convinced I’m at the right club with Schalke.”
Real Madrid and Man City each made an offer:
“I had sleepless nights about it. I was on holiday in Egypt with my girlfriend and sat alone on the balcony thinking about what to do,” Draxler told Bild when questioned about Madrid and City’s offers.
So. How committed is he to Schalke?
On August 30, John Cross told his Mirror readers:
Draxler was given a new two year contract at the end of last season to fend off interest and Schalke general manager Horst Heldt this week insisted they would only listen to offers for £60m.
The Metro:
He signed a new contract keeping him at the Glesenkirchen until 2018…
More on man-in-the-know John Cross here.
And what about that buy-out clause?
ESPN: “Reports in German tabloid Bild suggest the new deal – which keeps the 19-year-old at Schalke until 2018 – contains a €45 million buyout clause, the biggest in Germany.”
Back in April, the Metro wrote:
The club’s general manager Horst Heldt denied the existence of a buy-out clause for Draxler, saying it would take a bid of £85m to bring them to the negotiating table.
BackPageFootball.com wrote on August 30: “The extremely highly rated German attacker could be available for a late move after his €75million buyout clause expired.”
Such are the facts…
Posted: 8th, September 2013 | In: Sports Comment | TrackBack | Permalink
