Arsenal Transfer News: Latest Rumours on Julian Draxler and Kostas Manolas

Julian Draxler has said he made the correct decision to join Paris Saint-Germain, despite reported interest from Arsenal.

Louis Sealey of Metro quoted the Germany international discussing his decision to choose the French capital over a potential switch elsewhere:

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I am sure that I made the right decision. This club has great potential and has gained a lot of respect in recent years. I have similar goals. I want to improve, just as the club and we want to reach the European top class. We are on the right path. Me and this club can absolutely reach our goals.

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Neil Fissler of the Sunday Express reported in December that Arsenal manager Arsene Wenger was planning to bring the forward to the Emirates Stadium during the January transfer window. However, the player chose to continue his career in Ligue 1.

Per Metro's Jamie Sanderson, Draxler had previously described the Gunners as "attractive" and "a very, very nice team" when asked about the future prospect of joining up with international team-mate Mesut Ozil.

The 23-year-old scored five goals in 21 appearances for Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga last term, according to WhoScored, but he failed to hit the back of the net during the current season for his former club.

However, the German ace scored on his debut for PSG against Bastia during a 7-0 victory in the Coupe de France.

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In other Gunners news, Kostas Manolas has agreed to terms to join Arsenal in the summer, according to Italian football journalist Emanuele Giulianelli (via WhoScored.com).

Giulianelli reported Wenger could steal the player from under manager Antonio Conte's nose, preventing a move to Chelsea. The 25-year-old could replace the aging 32-year-old defender Per Mertesacker, who has suffered with injury. The player's fee could be as high as £47 million (h/t Jack Staplehurst of the Express).

Here is the Greek international in action:

The player's representative, Ioannis Evangelopoulos, commented during a recent interview with Tuttomercatoweb.com that Arsenal had a huge bid turned down by the Serie A club for the defender last summer (h/t ESPN FC's Ben Gladwell):

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Probably there will be something in the summer, if anything. In general, it's hard to make predictions in football, as it is in life. Kostas has the opportunity to play at a higher level, so I would not expect him to go to China.

[...]

Last summer, a bid of around €40 million from Arsenal was turned down for Kostas. Arsenal had shown interest before, but Roma's demands were higher than the English club were willing to go.

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ALBERTO PIZZOLI/Getty Images

Arsenal need to upgrade their defence, and Wenger's signings have been underwhelming at the back for a number of seasons.

Manolas has improved and excelled for La Maggica during his two years in the Italian capital, but it is questionable if he is worth the stated transfer fee or if he would blend with the current Arsenal defensive pack.

Wenger certainly needs to find a new leader at centre-back in the coming months and execute a deal when the marketplace is more buoyant at the end of the campaign.