Nuernberg are determined to hold on to reported Arsenal target Josip Drmic, but may have to avoid relegation to do so.
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Drmic, 22, has been in fine form of late, and remains his side’s greatest asset in their bid to retain their Bundesliga status this season.
The Switzerland international, who arrived from FC Zurich for a reported fee of 2.2 million euros in 2013, has hit 15 goals this term, and his brace in the 2-0 win against Stuttgart on Wednesday lifted Nuernberg out of the relegation zone. They now sit 14th in the table and hold a two-point lead over Hamburg and Stuttgart, who are 16th and 17th respectively.
In recent weeks, the forward has been linked with a switch away from the club, with Bundesliga sides Bayer Leverkusen and Hertha Berlin, as well as the Premier League outfit Arsenal, having been credited with an interest in the German press.
And their cause would be helped if Nuernberg were to be relegated this season, as Drmic’s five million euro release clause would then be triggered.
“Should we get relegated, he will leave us,” Nuernberg sporting director Martin Bader told kicker.
Bader, though, is hoping the club can beat the drop and then offer Drmic a new deal. His current contract runs until 2017.
“We’ll sit down. Because we can also offer a lot,” Bader said.
Nuernberg coach Gertjan Verbeek added: “The lad is very important for us. I hope he’ll stay in Nuernberg for a long time.”