German international Julian Draxler was desperately trying to leave PSG at the end of the transfer window, according to Spanish publication Mundo Deportivo.

Draxler only signed for the Parisiens in January, a €38m move from Wolfsburg, but boss Unai Emery was trying to usher him out of the door to make room for Neymar and Kylian Mbappe.

The French side are already engulfed in a financial fair play controversy following the two record signings, and have been trying to sell some of their assets, including former Newcastle man Hatem Ben Arfa.

Draxler was said to be disgruntled with Emery's treatment of him, as he'd won the player of the tournament award during the Confederations Cup in Russia, which Germany won.

And with the World Cup on the horizon, the winger was seeking first-team football to ensure he makes the squad.

As a result, he requested his agent make contact with Barcelona to see if they were interested in his services.

Mundo say that his agent, Robert Wittman, twice travelled to Barcelona to try and sort a deal out for the 23-year-old, but his efforts were fruitless.

The German international was hopeful that the Catalans would target him after their failure to secure the signature of Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool, but instead they didn't add to the £135m transfer of Ousmane Dembele.

However, following the departures of Blaise Matuidi to Juventus and Grzegorz Krychowiak on loan to West Brom, PSG now want to keep Draxler, as he can also operate in a midfield role.

The publication also claims that Barcelona were Draxler's first choice for a move, as he would love to live in the city and play at the Nou Camp, which is something that his international team-mate Marc-Andre Ter Stegen knows.

The German had also been linked with Arsenal and briefly Liverpool during the summer, though the latter chose to sign Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain instead.

With Angel Di Maria, Neymar and Mbappe all ahead of him in the pecking order at the Parc des Princes, Draxler will surely be kept waiting on the sidelines for the majority of the season.