Arsenal target Julian Draxler has ruled out a move in January, but has hinted he could consider his future next summer, according to ESPN. The highly-rated 20-year-old has also attracted the interest from a number of other clubs, including the Gunner's rivals Manchester United, but says he will not leave current club Schalke in the next window. He said:
"For my club I have the chance to play nearly every game, it is important for me to improve myself," he said. "I have said every summer I have to look what is the best for me and I will do in the summer again and we will see what happens. But no way. I won't switch then (in January)."
It has also transpired that Arsenal stars Mesut Ozil and Per Mertesacker have been bending their Germany international teammate's ear in a bid to persuade him to move to north London. Draxler also has admiration for English football, and Arsenal in particular, enthusing that they are "a very big club", which will come as music to the ears of Gunners fans. The attacking midfielder continued:
"I have always said English teams are very big clubs and Arsenal is of course one of them. "Of course I sometimes speak to Mesut or Per about the team, about the club, and they always have good words and they tell me nice things. "You never know what happens in the summer, but Arsenal is a very, very nice team. They always have very young players, they play attractive football and that is what I like.
However, for the time being at least, Schalke is where his loyalties lie, showing polite caution not to upset supporters of his current side. He explained:
"But I better not speak too much about it because tomorrow I can read in the newspapers that I like to play for Arsenal -- I think the people at Schalke would not like to hear that."
Draxler is one of the most sought-after players in Europe, having scored 10 league goals in 30 appearances for Bundesligs side Schalke last season. Such form has also alerted United, whose manager David Moyes is looking to bolster his midfield options, and may yet rival the Gunners in their pursuits.
Joseph is an accredited football journalist and has interviewed nearly all of the current 20 Barclay's Premier League managers. He is also a correspondent for Bleacher Report and has written for Caught Offside and Give Me Football.
