Arsenal and Chelsea Face Uphill Battle For €45m German Starlet

Arsenal and Chelsea face an uphill battle if they hope to sign Julian Draxler in the winter with Schalke's general manager insisting that there will be no mid-season deal.

Draxler has expressed some doubt over his satisfaction with the German outfit after they began the season in disappointing fashion, with the playmaker admitting that a big part of his reasoning for staying at Schalke was to get maximum game time in preparation for the World Cup.

Arsenal and Chelsea have both been credited with interest in the 20 year old while Bayern Munich are believed to be monitoring his situation.

Schalke have repeatedly insisted that he is not for sale, claiming at one point that the young German is priceless and Horst Heldt has reiterated that he thinks there will be no issues with keeping the side's biggest star in January.

"We will retain Draxler," he said. "There will be no dramas this winter."

Draxler would fit Arsene Wenger's transfer profile with the youngster showing great potential for the future and Arsenal could certainly be able to offer the starlet the chance to play alongside his country's best players with Per Mertesacker, Mesut Ozil and Lukas Podolski already on board at the Emirates.

But Chelsea could prove to be tough competition for the north London side. As Jose Mourinho looks to build the next generation of Stamford Bridge stars, money could be seen as no object should the club look to make their interest in Draxler formal.

A €45m release clause in Draxler's contract is certainly a leap of faith for any club who believe he could become one of the world's best in the coming years but should he have a successful World Cup next year in Brazil he could justify such a sum.