Wolfsburg's Draxler to join PSG
December 24, 2016German midfielder Julian Draxler had been widely expected to leave the Bundesliga club Wolfsburg after he expressed a desire to play in a different league.
"We have had intense and constructive discussions with Julian Draxler and his management as well as with Paris Saint-Germain (PSG) in recent days and finally achieved a very good result for all sides," Wolfsburg's head of sport Olaf Rebbe said in a statement on Saturday.
The two clubs agreed the financial details of the deal would remain confidential, Wolfsburg said. But some media reports claim that the move has been flinalized for 42 million euros (43.9 million euros).
"Of course I am sad to see Julian go, because he is an outstanding player," said Wolfsburg's coach Valerien Ismael.
"On the other hand, I think this is the right move for everyone. In both recent games against Frankfurt and Gladbach, he once again gave everything he had, and showed that he cares about our club. I hope he finds a new challenge in France," Ismael added.
Draxler was said to be a target for the Premier League club Arsenal.
The 23-year-old moved to Wolfsburg from Schalke in August 2015 for 35 million euros. He scored five goals in 34 league games for Wolfsburg. Altogether, he has 23 goals in 153 Bundesliga games, and three in 27 games for the German national team.
Wolfsburg are currently on the 13th spot in Bundesliga after having played 16 games. Defending champions PSG started the current season poorly and are five points behind leaders Nice and third in the French Ligue 1.
shs/jm (AFP, dpa, AP)