Liverpool mount late charge to grab Julian Draxler from Wolfsburg ahead of Premier League rivals Arsenal and front-runners PSG
Ligue 1 side thought they had a £34million deal wrapped up for the World Cup winner but the Kop and Emirates bosses are still in with a fighting chance
LIVERPOOL are ready to fight Arsenal and PSG for want-away Wolfsburg midfielder Julian Draxler.
The Ligue 1 side thought they had a £34million deal wrapped up for the World Cup winner as soon as the January transfer window opened, after he revealed he was leaving his Bundesliga club.
But long-time admirer Arsene Wenger is back in the running for his signature – after a mole in the player’s camp revealed the Paris deal is far from complete – and now Jurgen Klopp looks capable of a last-minute bid to lure his compatriot to the Premier League, according to .
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As usual it will be the Qatari-backed Paris side that has the most financial muscle but if the player wants a challenge then trying to help Klopp or Wenger lift their domestic title would be far greater than the usual one-horse race in France – though PSG are five-points off top at Christmas.
Wolfsburg paid Schalke £30 million for the left-sided playmaker in August 2015, as a replacement for Kevin De Bruyne when he joined Man City, and they are likely to want to make a profit, although the ugly situation surrounding Draxler’s exit might help keep his transfer fee down.
The 23-year-old has been repeatedly booed and jeered by his own fans since he revealed he was leaving in the New Year.
Draxler said: “I don’t think I need to tell anybody what being booed does to a person – it certainly doesn’t help you.
“There’s no doubt it makes it hard for you to perform on the field. I can understand the fans, though. They have every right to do that.
“I said in the summer the way I feel and I stand by that.”