Julian Draxler Reportedly on Course to Join Arsenal from Schalke

Arsenal are surprise leaders in the race to sign Julian Draxler, according to former Premier League player-turned-journalist Jan Aage Fjortoft.

Fjortoft, who is now based in Germany, reported the story on Saturday night, with Draxler one of the brightest young stars in the Bundesliga at present.

The Express' Ben Jefferson reported the story as follows:

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Fjortoft took to Twitter on Saturday night to declare Arsenal the "big favourite" to sign Draxler, saying he speaks with Gunners boss Arsene Wenger "often".

Importantly, Fjortoft was the first journalist to break the news that Mesut Ozil was on his way from Real Madrid to the Emirates so he appears to be a reliable source when it comes to all things Arsenal.

Draxler spurned interest from England last summer to sign a new contract with Schalke but Fjortoft pointed out that the player has a £38m buyout clause that is valid every summer until 2018, when his current deal expires.

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Per the report, the 20-year-old German international is considered a major target for a number of Premier League sides including Manchester United and Chelsea.

However, with Arsenal's connections in the Bundesliga growing ever stronger, it appears that it is the Gunners who are moving into the lead in the chase for the man with two Champions League goals to his name thus far this season.

While many would consider a central striker the number one attacking priority for Arsenal at present, the likes of Draxler are not to be passed up when they become available.

Alongside Mario Goetze, Marco Reus and Arsenal's own Ozil, Draxler is very much seen as one of Germany's outstanding generation of attacking talents and a potential world-leading attacking midfielder.

As the capture of Ozil showed, signing such a player can hand a club a significant push toward achieving their aims both on the field and psychologically.

It is the type of signing that would show that Arsenal are serious when it comes to their title ambitions this season.

Beating off Chelsea, in particular, would be significant given the Blues' incredible wealth. In previous years it would not have been a contest, but it appears that the North Londoners are now willing to part with their accumulated funds.

Fjortoft is well respected for his inside stories from Germany and should be treated as credible. Until anything is signed, though, much can change very quickly in the world of football.