Schalke 04 coach Jens Keller has told midfielder Julian Draxler he can leave the club as long as his release clause is met by a club.
The German international was involved in one of the main January transfer sagas as he was continously linked with a move to Premier League side Arsenal, but by deadline day, the proposed move was cancelled and the 20-year-old remained in Germany.
However, Arsenal are refusing to give up in their pursuit for the playmaker, but there is a strong chance that more clubs will be interested in him come the Summer.
Speaking in an interview regarding the German’s future, Keller admitted that if their asking price is met, they will happily sell.
“I am delighted that we have him on board for the second half of the season but, because of his clause, he can leave when a club puts the money on the table,” he told Bild.
“That’s why I can’t plan with him, because it is just not in my or our hands.
“It’s a god-awful situation when, as the coach, you don’t know whether such an important player will move on, but Julian was injured at that time, so at least any unrest did not necessarily affect the other players.
“He’s young, but has made over 100 competitive appearances for Schalke. Others don’t achieve that in five, six years.
“That’s why he is very experienced already, and has shown his superior qualities often enough, although his youth shows in his consistency.
“It’s clear that all the talk about his €45.5m release clause and the interest from top European clubs leaves its mark on such a young lad.
“The hype around him last summer was huge. He must learn to cope with that, and also that failing to perform at less than 100% is not good enough for him.”
Written by Alex Batt – @AlexBatt – @AlexsArticles
