Per Mertesacker: I’m curious about transfers but I’d love Julian Draxler to join

Arsenal defender Per Mertesacker has admitted that he’d love to see Julian Draxler sign for the Gunners.

Draxler, 20, has been heavily linked with Arsenal for some months now and the move is finally expected to go ahead at some point this year.

Mertesacker and Draxler are German team-mates so the tall defender will know him well and would love to see him sign for Arsenal to add to the growing contingent of Germans at the Emirates.

“We already have a little German academy here and I learned that German discipline and talents are very appreciated here (at Arsenal),” the defender told SPOX.

“We would love to welcome a player like Draxler, he is so young and already plays a huge role in Schalke and in the national team.”

Arsenal signed Mesut Ozil for £42.4 million in the summer to break their record transfer fee and are set to get close to that with Draxler, should they meet his supposed £37.8 million release clause in his Schalke contract.

“There is lots of talking about possible transfers, I am curious about what is going to happen,” he added.

Schalke have, as of yet, insisted that they are yet to receive any bids for their attacking star.

Draxler scored 66.6% of Schalke’s goals in the Champions League group stages.