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Well, there might not be an offer on the table between Juventus and Schalke for Julian Draxler, but that hasn't apparently prevented the Italian champions from getting other pieces of the deal done. That piece of the puzzle would be agreeing to terms with the 21-year-old Draxler, Juve's clear choice to become their new No. 10 at this point in time.
To the Di Marzio Machine!
#Juventus, accordo totale con #Draxler: ora si tratta con lo #Schalke, le ultime http://t.co/MLfOzfjUD9 #Calciomercato
— Gianluca Di Marzio (@DiMarzio) July 24, 2015
And for our English speakers out there...
Juve has reached an agreement on wages of 3.5 million per season with Draxler & are now looking to complete deal with Schalke (Di Marzio)
— David Amoyal (@DavidAmoyal) July 24, 2015
So, if we take Di Marzio at his word -- which isn't always the worst thing to do in life -- it looks as though that rumored €5 million yearly salary after tax Draxler was demanding could very well be made up in the bonuses mentioned above. And, to be honest, with the way Draxler has battled injuries over the last year, having the contract constructed this way is the best way to go about it.
This is the first major step in getting Draxler to Turin. There's no doubt about it in anybody's mind that agreeing to personal terms with Draxler was going to be a little more difficult compared to some other transfer dealings this summer. Sure, the bigger negotiations still remain between Juventus and Schalke, but seeing as some believed there may be resistance on Draxler's part to move to Turin, reportedly agreeing to personal terms pretty much kicks that notion right out the door.
Now becomes the big test to see how long it will take for Juventus and Schalke to agree to a deal in relatively short order so we don't go through some huge transfer saga that will push the limits of the summer transfer window. From what's out there, it seems as though the €30 million price tag is where Schalke want to stay at. Would Juventus try and avoid that if need be? Who knows. But if the reported €20 million figure from Juve thrown out there is any indication of how things are going,
But one thing is out of the way, and now the hardest part of the negotiating phase either begins or continues depending on how you look at things. Draxler alla Juve? It certainly got a whole lot more interesting as midnight arrived in Italy late Friday night, that's for sure.