Schalke midfielder Julian Draxler has confirmed he turned down the chance to join Arsenal in January and insisted he intends to remain with his current employers for another year.
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Arsenal boss Arsene Wenger hinted that he had submitted a bid to sign the German attacking midfielder in the last transfer window, yet it seems 20-year-old Draxler made the decision to spurn those advances as he continues his football development with Schalke.
"In January, there was the offer of Arsenal, but I decided to stay," he told the BBC. "I will do the same this summer. I want to play one year more in Schalke."
Draxler, who was an unused substitute in Germany's emphatic 4-0 win against 10-man Portugal in their opening Group G match of this summer's World Cup finals on Monday, went on to pay tribute to his Germany international teammate Thomas Muller after his hat trick helped to seal the win.
"He is so dangerous in front of goal," he added of Bayern Munich star Muller. "He always knows where he has to be. That's his secret. He knows where he has to be to score goals.
"We were a little bit nervous before the game, but we know we are very strong and we wanted to show the world we can win the title. There are many other great nations and teams here, but we are one of the favourites."