Juventus end Julian Draxler pursuit

Juventus director general Giuseppe Marotta has admitted that the club have "abandoned negotiations" with Schalke 04 for Julian Draxler.

The 21-year-old has been strongly linked with a move to the Bianconeri this summer, but they have been unable to agree a transfer fee with his club.

However, Juventus have revealed that they are close to completing a deal for Porto's Brazilian midfielder Alex Sandro.

"I think we can close a deal for Alex Sandro on Wednesday," Marotta told reporters.

"We've pretty much abandoned negotiations for Draxler for a number of reasons, but we're still looking for someone to play behind the strikers.

"We've got 10 days to find a player other than Draxler and wrap things up with Alex Sandro."

Sandro has spent the past four years at Porto and has helped the club to win two league titles.