Transfer news and rumours of the day: 24th December, 2016

Welcome to our daily transfer news roundup from across Europe. With the winter transfer window only days away the rumour mills are going haywire as clubs finalise on their targets for reinforcements.

The big news today is, of course, the transfer of Julian Draxler from Wolfsburg to PSG, however, there is another huge surprise in store with Juventus planning an audacious world-record bid for a Real Madrid superstar.

Here are all the transfer news and rumours from 24th December 2016:

Bundesliga

Borussia Dortmund to sign Bayer Leverkusen’s Omer Toprak

Bundesliga giants Borussia Dortmund will complete the signing of Bayer Leverkusen defender Omer Toprak for €12 million in the summer transfer window, according to German daily Bild. The report adds that the Turkish international will put pen to paper on a four-year deal with the Signal Iduna Park outfit.

Dortmund have struggled in defence ever since the transfer of Mats Hummels to Bayern Munich in the summer and manager Thomas Tuchel will be hoping that the 27-year-old can help fill the huge void left by the departure of the World Cup winning German. Toprak has been with Bayer ever since he completed his move from Freiburg to BayArena in 2011.

Schalke join race for Thiago Maia

According to ESPN Brazil, FC Schalke have joined the race to sign Santos’ highly-rated midfielder Thiago Maia but face stern competition from a host of clubs including Liverpool, Napoli and Monaco. The 19-year-old has seen his stock rise in the past 12 months and a number of high profile European clubs are interested in his services.

The report further adds that Russian Premier League outfit Zenit St Petersburg’s €18 million bid for the youngster was rejected by Santos. Due to a contract in his clause, 30% of the transfer fee that Maia will command will be handed over to the midfielder and the Brazilian side are looking to cash in on the midfielder in the upcoming transfer window.