Julian Draxler reveals he “would’ve been happy to join Juventus and agreed terms, but they didn’t strike a deal with Schalke.”

The creative midfielder had been the number one target for Juve last summer, but eventually joined Wolfsburg for €36m.

“During the year I looked upon Juve with curiosity,” Draxler told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

Julian Draxler reveals he “would’ve been happy to join Juventus and agreed terms, but they didn’t strike a deal with Schalke.”

The creative midfielder had been the number one target for Juve last summer, but eventually joined Wolfsburg for €36m.

“During the year I looked upon Juve with curiosity,” Draxler told La Gazzetta dello Sport.

“If in October, considering the results, I thought I’d avoided a potential banana skin with the departures of Andrea Pirlo, Arturo Vidal and Carlos Tevez, I must admit that in hindsight it would’ve been nice to win the Scudetto and Coppa Italia.

“There was a lot of criticism at that stage, including for Paulo Dybala, but the quality of the side emerged in the long run. For example, in my view, Juve deserved to go through in the Champions League against Bayern.

“I would’ve had a lot of fun playing for such a strong team with people like Paul Pogba and Dybala. There is a calmer atmosphere at Wolfsburg and the media pressure is easier to deal with too. That’s why I decided to come here, to grow in a relaxed way.

“It was an honour that Juventus wanted me and tried for so long to get the signature. It is a club I had always followed with interest.

“In August there were several different meetings as they tried to reach an agreement with Schalke on the transfer fee. I had agreed terms with Juventus already, as far as I was concerned it was a done deal, but the two clubs couldn’t agree.

“At the last minute Wolfsburg sold Kevin De Bruyne and contacted me to replace him. This is a big club that won two trophies last season and it gave me the chance to stay in Germany.

“Wolfsburg and Schalke agreed terms immediately, so I decided to accept that second option. If the negotiations with Juventus had been shorter, I would be in Turin today.

“I needed something new and my growth process had stalled, so I told Schalke I wanted to leave and to listen to any offers that arrived. I knew they expected a lot of money, but I was clear in my desire to be sold.”

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