Liverpool Transfer News: Julian Draxler Rumours, Reportedly Available for €50m

Paris Saint-Germain are reportedly willing to sell Julian Draxler this summer for €50 million (£43.8 million), and Liverpool are said to have pinpointed the winger as their Philippe Coutinho replacement.

The arrivals of Neymar and Kylian Mbappe at PSG last summer have increased competition out wide at the Parc des Princes, and German newspaper Bild (h/t Calciomercato.com) reported Draxler has caught Liverpool's attention.

As if that pair of newcomers weren't competition enough, Draxler is also jostling with Argentinian duo Angel Di Maria and Giovani Lo Celso. The German has made 39 appearances this season but only 24 starts, 16 of which have come in Ligue 1.

Draxler recently aired some frustration with manager Unai Emery after he was brought on with 15 minutes left in PSG's UEFA Champions League last-16 defeat to Real Madrid, per commentator Derek Rae:

In that same interview with German broadcaster ZDF Sport (h/t AS), Draxler was critical of his club's failure to evolve in Europe despite spending big last summer, hinting at the lack of impact made by his team-mates:

“Real Madrid were totally relaxed—they weren't nervous at all. We played the ball about, but you are not going to win doing that. You have to put Madrid under pressure when you are losing 1-3. You can't just pass the ball about and hope a goal falls from the sky. We deserved to be knocked out. Last summer we spent €400 million to bring changes and in the end we can't even get past the first knockout round."

Draxler has played the full 90 minutes on only eight occasions this season, but WhoScored.com highlighted the Germany international is at least composed in his passing when he features:

The Reds failed to bring in attacking reinforcements during the winter transfer window despite selling Coutinho, but manager Jurgen Klopp argued his exit only made Liverpool stronger, per the Guardian's Andy Hunter:

“You saw our games when Phil came deep in centre-mid. We didn't want him to come deep all the time to be honest—it was more of a natural thing. If you play with three midfielders, you need two sixes and one who is more of a 10. With Phil we were giving him a four-yard pass and you don't need that. Now we don't have this dominant player—'Give it to me, give it to me, give it to me'—that's how it is.

“I don't want this to be misunderstood. It was really good, that's why Phil is the player he is, but now we play differently and not only because he is out. It is because the boys do so well."

A move for Draxler would unsettle the current Liverpool lineup somewhat considering Sadio Mane has been featuring off the left flank, although Klopp would likely welcome the competition among elite players.

The 24-year-old starred for Schalke and Wolfsburg in the Bundesliga before joining PSG in January 2017, and even though he's seen a drop in playing time in Paris, he continues to show signs of his majesty on the ball, via Goal:

The prescribed transfer fee is more than the €42 million PSG paid for Draxler in 2017, although that price tag may now look every bit a bargain since Neymar left Barcelona for PSG in £200 million move last summer.

Former Schalke team-mate Joel Matip is already at Anfield, and Klopp could be the man to offer Draxler the boost in playing time he seeks, with UEFA Champions League qualification within the Reds' grasp.