Fellow PSG Talk contributors Marc Damon and Cose Espinosa won’t like to hear this but if Paris Saint-Germain receives a bid for €30 million for Julian Draxler (his reported value according to Transfermarkt), they need to move forward before the buying club changes their mind.
Damon and Espinosa take turns driving the Draxler bandwagon and while I think he is a very talented footballer, he doesn’t quite have a place in this current version of PSG. In the highly potent 4-4-2 formation, Draxler will never start ahead of Neymar Jr. or Angel Di Maria on the wings. He’s also not defensive-minded enough to play in the midfield. Even in a 4-3-3, Mauro Icardi, Neymar, and Kylian Mbappé would be preferred over the German.
Draxler is a more than adequate player to have off the bench and the kind that you need to have for squad depth if you want to win the UEFA Champions League, but if he can be sold for upwards of €30 million (PSG bought Draxler in 2017 for €42 million per USA Today), I think sporting director Leonardo has to do that deal. The Brazilian could reinvest that money in an upgrade at the right-back position, which is a lot more pressing than another attack-minded midfielder.
L’Equipe reports that Draxler earns €7.2 million gross per year in the French capital and that he enjoys the Parisian lifestyle. However, the former VfL Wolfsburg and Schalke 04 player could be looking at a return to the Bundesliga with Hertha BSC being the primary interested party.
With a new investor looking to turn the Hertha into a European powerhouse, Draxler would be a nice piece to add as they look to stave off relegation and move up the table. Despite the new money being pumped into the club, L’Equipe reports that a first contract offer of €4.5 million—a significant decrease from his current salary—isn’t quite what the 26-year-old is looking for.
Draxler could ultimately stay in Paris. PSG has already turned down a loan offer from Olympique Lyonnais but with his contract expiring in June of 2021, the club is running out of time to cash in on his talents. The January transfer window is the ideal time to get a deal done and allow Draxler to play in a familiar league as he looks to secure his place with Germany at next summer’s UEFA Euro 2020.
With PSG, Draxler has recorded 20 goals and 27 assists in 126 total appearances in all competitions.
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