Schalke reject Juve's Draxler bid
Juventus have tabled a bid for Germany international Julian Draxler, but Schalke rejected the Serie A champions' approach.
Schalke have rejected a bid from Juventus for attacking midfielder Julian Draxler.
The Italian champions were already known to be trailing the highly rated Germany international and representatives from both clubs confirmed a bid had been made on Monday.
"Today we made an offer based on our evaluations and I think there is still a big gap," Juve director Beppe Marotta is quoted as telling Sky Sport Italia.
"That was one of the many proposals we have put forward during this market. The player belongs to Schalke, so obviously it ultimately depends on them.
"We are in no rush, but the squad at Allegri’s disposal is solid and we are trying to add a few cherries to the cake.
"We are working on a trequartista, or at least a midfielder with certain characteristics, and a left-back who can act as an alternative to Patrice Evra while Kwadwo Asamoah recovers from his injury.
"We are looking for eclectic players, who can allow us to set out the team in various different ways. We are looking for a midfielder with certain characteristics."
Get FourFourTwo Newsletter
The best features, fun and footballing quizzes, straight to your inbox every week.
Speaking after Schalke's friendly draw with Porto, general manager Horst Heldt added: "This afternoon we received and rejected a bid for Julian Draxler from Juventus."
‘Scoring in a World Cup is like winning the title – can you imagine millions of people celebrating something you did? It’s insane and made me very proud’: Brazil legend explains how much 2002 goal meant to him
'He already had the ability but didn’t use it because he was afraid to shoot – I said, "You’re a player who has to decide games – you have to take risks, mate"': Liverpool star was forced to become confident by team-mates