Mikel Arteta could secure Arsene Wenger’s white whale by signing Julian Draxler

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Arsenal are reportedly interested in a move for German midfield playmaker Julian Draxler this summer. Now, Gunners fans, stop me if you think that you’ve heard this one before?

Draxler to Arsenal has become something of a mythical path. A road well-trodden in theory but never in practice. A tinhat transfer story Arsenal fans must be sick of.

Foot Mercato is reporting that Arsenal could finally bring PSG midfielder Draxler to North London this summer, with Hertha Berlin also keen on the £120,000-a-week star.

Of course, these reports will spark flashbacks to the summer of 2013, when Arsenal looked absolutely bolt-on to sign Draxler from Schalke. Arsene Wenger was said to be a huge fan of the player and, from there, the long-term pursuit began.

Draxler eventually signed a new deal in Gelsenkirchen, which did not stop more links in January.

The German had a £37 million release clause in his shiny new Schalke deal and Arsenal were ready to exploit it. As reported by The Guardian, Arsenal’s former transfer ball-buster Dick Law was in Germany hashing out a deal. 

Draxler was even ‘spotted’ at London’s Colney training facility. Wenger later referenced this in a press conference (as relayed by Sky Sports), comparing the German star to a UFO.  

“It’s like UFOs – some see them everywhere!”

But it proved a mere close encounter. Draxler later confirmed he had turned down Arsenal to the BBC whilst in Brazil preparing for the 2014 World Cup, from which he emerged with a winner’s medal. He wanted another season with Schalke.

Draxler was true to his word, he spent one more season at Schalke and moved on. But he shocked many by heading to Wolfsburg, replacing the Manchester City-bound Kevin De Bruyne, and not to Arsenal. 

In 2017, despite more reported Arsenal interest, Draxler headed to Paris. Wenger, like a hapless Ahab, could not harpoon his white whale and fell overboard from his sinking ship a year later. 

Now it seems that Mikel Arteta, who could have been a team-mate of Draxler’s at The Emirates had Wenger reeled in his prey, is set to continue the hunt for the fleet-footed German.