Wolfsburg have admitted that long-term Arsenal target Julian Draxler, who was the subject of a sizeable bid from the Gunners last summer, could leave this summer.
Julian Draxler was involved in one of many transfer sagas last summer. The German midfielder openly said that he wanted to leave Wolfsburg after just one season with the German club, and this sparked a number of rumours linking him away from the club throughout the summer.
Manchester United, Juventus and Paris Saint-Germain were all strongly linked with moves for the attacking midfielder, but it was Arsenal whose interest was reportedly the strongest.
Arsenal were said to have tabled a £43 million bid for the German youngster, but Wolfsburg stood firm through all the interest and refused to sell the 23-year-old.
Once the season began, Draxler spoke out about the issues he had with Wolfsburg in the summer, but confirmed he would stay at the club till the end of the season — ruling out any potential moves in January.
Wolfsburg have now admitted that they may be powerless to stop Draxler leaving in the summer.
According to the Mirror, Wolfsburg General Manager Klaus Allofs had this to say: “The story [summer’s saga] doesn’t help him, or Wolfsburg. It was catastrophic for the player.
“We may evaluate the situation differently, and may do things differently next time. Does this mean letting him leave? Potentially.”
Arsenal’s interest stretches back to 2014, when they were repeatedly linked with a move for him throughout the summer, but Schalke reportedly refused to sell.
Draxler eventually joined Die Wolfe in a £25 million move in 2015, scoring nine times in 34 games at the Volkswagen Arena last season. The young playmaker was very impressive in Germany’s Euro 2016 run last summer, which ignited the interest of top European clubs and prompted him to ask the club to leave even though he was tied down till 2020.
Although Wolfsburg have now hinted that they may be willing to sell him in the summer, any interested clubs would have to pay a sizeable amount of money to land Draxler. A release clause — believed to be in the region of £62 million — kicks in next summer, and with Draxler tied to club till 2020, Wolfsburg will have no reason to accept anything less than the clause.
