Julian Draxler will stay at Schalke until the summer (Picture: Reuters)

Arsenal’s attempts to sign Julian Draxler were scuppered by Bayern Munich, according to former Premier League striker Jan Aage Fjortoft.

The Gunners were hoping to snap up the Schalke star before Friday’s transfer deadline but failed to land their man with reports suggesting the Bundesliga outfit pulled the plug on the deal at the last minute.

Draxler has gone on record to say he was keen to leave and it was thought the Gunners would be ready to go back in for the 20-year-old in the summer.

However, Fjortoft who now works as a TV pundit and journalist in Norway and Germany, believes Arsenal never had a chance and that the talented youngster is on his way to Bayern.


My view. Based on my information. Bayern Munich managed to stop the Draxler-deal by saying "we take him in the summer". — Jan Aage Fjortoft (@JanAageFjortoft) February 1, 2014

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To add to the confusion surrounding the proposed move, Schalke’s director of sport Horst Heldt has admitted he turned down a bid for Draxler last week, but suggested it was not from Arsenal.

Heldt would not confirm the name of the team who tabled the offer but said that it ‘came from a club to the north of us’ – geographically ruling out the Londoners.

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