Friday, 28th June, 2013
Schalke appear resigning themselves to the fact that Arsenal and Chelsea target Julian Draxler may not be easy to hold on to if the big clubs come calling, despite only recently penning a new long-term contract.
Draxler tied himself to the Bundesliga outfit until 2018, following a season of 30 games, 10 goals and four assists in the league.
It helped Schalke secure a Champions League qualification berth, and boosted his value for the club who immediately got him to sign his extension, especially with Borussia Dortmund sniffing.
No sooner had a €45.5m release clause been reported, than Chelsea’s interest began to make headlines, and with his stock set to rise further, Schalke president Clemens Tonnies has revealed a move to a big club would be fair on the player.
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With Real Madrid also on the radar for Draxler, Tonnies told German newspaper Express: "Of course we want to keep him, Julian is an important face of Schalke.
"But if you want to be fair with him, you may have to consider letting him go abroad some day."
When asked for his opinion on the interest in the 19-year-old from major European clubs, including Chelsea, Tonnies added: "So what? Is that bad? If Real Madrid enquire about him what am I supposed to tell him?
"Would you not entertain their enquiries? That would be ridiculous. Those days are over."
Draxler’s talents have already earned him six caps with Germany’s national side, whilst he boasts a total of 75 Bundesliga appearances for Schalke having graduated to the senior team in 2011.
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