For such a young kid with so much talent, the spotlights of a big stage can only be avoided for so long.
At just 20 years of age, German wonderkid Julian Draxler shocked the world in June by reportedly turning down major offers from top clubs to stay with Schalke and sign a long term contract at Veltins Arena.
Now, he has gone on record saying that a move to one of the world’s big clubs is a dream of his and Schalke may not be his long term destination after all.
When asked about the possibility of playing for a big club, Draxler told German paper Kolner Stadt-Azinger, “I owe a lot to Schalke, I have always been at Schalke. But I’m not so rooted that I couldn’t tear myself away. Honestly, it is my dream to play at one of the big clubs eventually.”
When asked which clubs, Draxler mentioned Real Madrid, Barcelona, Bayern Munich, Manchester United, Arsenal, and Chelsea. Not surprisingly, he left Borussia Dortmund off the list, having said back in June he would “have to be brainwashed” to join Dortmund.
The statement is a bit of a turnaround from his previous comments directly after signing his contract extension with Schalke. At the time, Draxler pledged his loyalty to the club he’s been with since he was 7 years old.
Now, it would appear he could end up making the move eventually.
Don’t look for him to be a serious January target, however. Draxler mentioned in the past his desire to remain at Schalke until at least the World Cup, in order to avoid acclimation to a new club getting in the way of his focus for the German national team.