Bayer Leverkusen made one phenomenal signing last summer and are reaping the rewards of it. On 4 July 2014, Hakan Calhanoglu left Hamburg for Leverkusen and signed a five-year contract for a a 14.5 million. The highly rated 21 year old had attracted the interest from many top clubs including Premier League sides Liverpool, Arsenal and Chelsea, but in the end his move to Leverkusen materialized and he remained in Bundesliga.
The Turkish player has been an integral part of the side this season and has done impressively well. Calhanoglu has made 23 Bundesliga appearances for Leverkusen this season and has scored five goals in the process. His performances have once again attracted interest from top European clubs, notably La Liga giants Barcelona but the player’s representative claims that his client has no interest in leaving Germany, not even for a club of Barcelona’s size.
Bektas Demirtas has claimed that the Catalan giants have expressed an interest in Calhanoglu, but the player is happy at Leverkusen.
“It’s true,” Demirtas told Express. “Barcelona have reported and expressed their interest.
“Not to sound arrogant but, for Hakan, interest from Barcelona is not interesting. He has everything he needs at Leverkusen.
“He’s playing in the Champions League and competing for the DFB-Pokal – plus things are going well for him in the Bundesliga.”
An attacking midfielder, Calhanoglu can be the perfect number 10 for a team. His style of play is direct and he can really be an attacking threat for his side when he sits behind the striker. He is a good passer with great control on the ball. His first touch is also very impressive and he likes to link up play for the other attackers along with causing the defenders nightmares by moving in and around the box himself. He has great vision which is so important in the modern day game and his excellent technique coupled with his footballing intelligence makes him a delightful player to watch. His free-kick abilities are also pretty phenomenal and at 21 years of age, his game is only going to improve which makes it almost frightening how good he can become in the next few years.
It is no surprise that Barcelona are targeting a player of his talent. In fact, with the summer window coming closer, we are likely to see more interest from other top teams in Europe. Even if Leverkusen decide to cash in on him, they would get a good profit on the talented Turkish international. However, if they want to challenge for silverware next season, it would be wisest to keep hold of him because he is a huge asset to have in the ranks.