Wolfsburg winger Julian Draxler says he wishes he had completed a move to Juventus that came close to fruition, but never went through.
At Schalke last summer and looking for a change of scenery, Draxler said he agreed to personal terms with Juventus, but they couldn’t agree to a transfer fee, and the Italian giants dropped their bid.
“It was an honour for me that Juventus wanted me and tried so hard to sign me. I have always followed them closely,” Draxler told La Gazzetta dello Sport. “I had agreed terms with Juventus, but both clubs could not agree a deal. In the end Wolfsburg wanted me to replace Kevin De Bruyne. But I would have been a Juventus player had negotiations gone quicker.”
Draxler also said with Juventus’s poor start to the season, he thought he might have “avoided a banana skin” but in the end the 22-year-old clearly would have benefitted from being a part of that squad, citing the success of another young attacker.
“I would probably have been heavily criticized at Juventus at the start after their initial struggles, just like Dybala received plenty of criticism,” Draxler said. “But their quality shone through in the long term. I think they deserved to beat Bayern in the Champions League. I would have loved to win the Scudetto.”
However, he back-tracked, saying ultimately things happen for a reason. “The atmosphere at Wolfsburg is a bit more relaxed. I think I made the right choice to come here. I get the chance to develop at a calm pace here.”