Schalke have nearly conceded defeat in their attempts of holding onto Julian Draxler, who is hugely tipped to make the move to the Emirates Stadium, either this month or latest in the summer. The youngster is regarded highly, and is expected to join the growing German contingent at the Emirates Stadium.

Schalke are already preparing for life without the 20-year old and are looking to line up replacements, starting with their former charge Lewis Holtby, who made the move to Arsenal’s London rivals Tottenham last season. He has failed to make a huge impact at White Hart Lane, and is understood to be unhappy with his current situation. A move back to his former club is heavily touted.

However, Tottenham chairman Daniel Levy wishes to block Holtby’s move to Schalke, fearing that the move will open the door for Draxler’s transfer to Arsenal – something which will only make their arch rivals much more stronger that what they already are. This is a repeat of the summer saga, where Tottenham desperately but unsuccessfully tried to block Gareth Bale’s move to Real Madrid, which ultimately paved the way for Mesut Ozil to leave the Spanish giants for Arsenal.

The impact of Ozil’s arrival at Arsenal is evident, and Levy is wary that history might repeat itself if he sanctions Holtby’s move to Schalke, as reported by the Mirror. Therefore, he is going all out to prevent this chain reaction from starting once again, in an attempt to prevent Arsenal from getting any stronger this season.

Will Levy be successful this time around in preventing Draxler from joining Arsenal, or will the Gunners get what they want?