Arsenal transfers: Gunners given Julian Draxler hope

Arsenal have been handed a boost in their reported pursuit of Julian Draxler, after Schalke’s general manager Horst Heldt admitted that the playmaker’s future remains up in the air.

The Gunners have long been linked with a transfer move for the German youngster and were reported to have come close to signing him last summer.

Manchester United and Liverpool have also been touted as possible destinations for the 21-year-old in recent months.

Draxler was linked with a move to Juventus earlier this summer but a move to the Serie A club has yet to materialise.

And although Heldt says Schalke are keen to keep hold of the player, he admits that the Bundesliga club could be tempted into selling this summer.

Heldt told The Rheinischen Post: “If another club makes an astronomical offer for a player, for the good of the club you must always at least consider it.

“We want to keep him, but we can only definitively put the issue to bed on August 31. To say anything else would not be honest.”

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Arsenal, who lost 2-0 to West Ham United in their Premier League opener last weekend, return to Premier League action when they face Crystal Palace at Selhurst Park on Sunday.