Former Germany captain Lothar Matthaeus has claimed that Nuernberg attacker Josip Drmic will join Arsenal in the summer, although the player himself has dismissed the comments as speculation.
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caption:Josip Drmic has hit 16 goals in the Bundesliga this season.
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Drmic, 21, has proved to be one of the surprise hits in the Bundesliga this season, having hit 16 goals -- the same amount as Borussia Dortmund’s Robert Lewandowski, and only one less than Bayern Munich’s Mario Mandzukic, who currently tops the scoring charts.
Nuernberg, however, are struggling to maintain their top-flight status, and have already conceded that there will be no way to keep hold of the Switzerland international should they get relegated. Should they finish the season in the drop zone, a five million euro release clause would be triggered.
Nuernberg say they are determined to keep hold of Drmic should they stay up, but according to Matthaeus, the striker has already decided to join Arsenal instead.
“Drmic is linked to Arsenal. I know that his wife is already looking for a flat in London,” Matthaeus told Sky Deutschland on Saturday. “I’d like to think that he will successfully finish the season at Nuernberg and then will be sold at a profit. Address: Arsenal, London.”
Drmic was rather surprised when told of Matthaeus’ claims on Saturday, however.
“I am single right now. And there is no-one looking for a flat in London,” he told Bild.
But speaking to Sky Deutschland, he did not entirely rule out a move to Arsenal further down the line.
“What the future will bring, I don’t know. Every lad dreams of joining Arsenal,” Drmic said.
On Monday, though, Matthaeus insisted that his sources were correct, and would not backtrack on his comments.
“Drmic will join Arsenal for eight million pounds,” he told Bild. “It’s a fact that there is a woman, and I know her name, looking for a flat. I was right with [Robert] Lewandowski and [Adrian] Ramos [whose transfers he predicted on Sky Deutschland]. And I will be proved right again.”
Drmic’s agent Volker Struth, however, also moved to deny Matthaeus’ claims, telling Bild: "This speculation is far-fetched."