Newcastle United have commenced talks with both club and player in a pursuit of PSG attacking midfielder Julian Draxler, according to reports from France.
So far this summer, Newcastle have had mixed success with the French market. On the positive side, they managed to win the race to sign defender Sven Botman from Lille. However, in contrast, they lost out on long-term striker target Hugo Ekitike to PSG.
But now the French champions could lend Newcastle a helping hand in their quest to add another attacking midfielder to their squad. According to Le10 Sport, Newcastle are keen to sign Draxler from the capital club this summer.
In fact, it is claimed that Newcastle have made contact with PSG to determine Draxler’s price tag. The Germany international is no longer wanted by his current employers, despite his contract running until 2024.
Therefore, they are casting him aside and inviting offers. Newcastle could take him if they can meet the asking price of between €20m and €30m. In other words, he will cost between £17m and £25.5m.
Knowing they have a decent chance of getting their man, Newcastle have also supposedly opened talks with his representatives. They are pitching their project to those who look after Draxler, whose own stance on the potential move is not yet known.
It should be clear to the 28-year-old that he must leave Paris this summer if he wants to be playing ahead of the World Cup. Whether he would sacrifice European football by joining Newcastle remains to be seen.
Adding a player of Draxler’s pedigree would no doubt be beneficial to Newcastle’s own hopes of striving towards continental territory. They have taken the first steps, but there would be work to do if they are to arrive at a positive conclusion.
Julian Draxler would be high-profile Newcastle signing
If they do end up signing Draxler, Newcastle would be making an eye-catching addition to Eddie Howe’s squad.
Although Draxler has not been a regular for PSG in recent years, he has still been part of the squads that won four Ligue 1 titles and nine other domestic trophies.
Before that, he enjoyed a promising formative career in Germany and was a member of the 23-man roster that won the 2014 World Cup.
Still only 28, Draxler has something to offer. Given his situation in Paris, it could be feasible for Newcastle to pick him up.
It would then be over to the former Schalke and Wolfsburg man to prove himself in the Premier League. But he remains a talented player who would bring some qualities to St James’ Park.
Time will tell if he becomes a Newcastle player.
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