Arsenal are prepared to make a €23.5 million offer for Bayer Leverkusen star Hakan Calhanoglu.
According to Claudio Colla of Transfer Market Web, Premier League side Arsenal are ready to take their interest in Hakan Calhanoglu to the next level, and are set to table a €23.5 million bid for the Bayer Leverkusen star.
The Gunners’ rivals Chelsea have also been strongly linked with the player, but Arsenal are now looking to weigh in with formal offers, hoping to lure the Turkish superstar, and continue Arsene Wenger’s squad rebuilding at the Emirates Stadium this summer.
It is believed that the player has a £32.5 million release clause in his contract, but Bayer are prepared to part ways with the Turkey international as he seems keen on joining the Gunners following the German club’s disappointing domestic campaign.
Thus, a bid in the region of €23.5 million (£20.8 million) could be enough for the Gunners to make their second acquisition of the summer – following Sead Kolasinac who joined from Schalke on a free transfer.
Should the move go through, Calhanoglu will become the second Turkish speaking player at the North London club after Mesut Ozil – someone who he wishes to emulate and is likened to by the Leverkusen fans.
The Turkish sensation is an exceptional playmaker, and is extremely prolific in creating chances for others, much like Ozil. To add to that, he is one of Europe’s finest set-piece takers and already has 11 goals from direct free kicks in the Bundesliga.
Since joining the German club, his goals and assists statistics have almost gone hand in hand as he has found the back of the net on 28 occasions and provided an impressive 29 assists in the league.
He could have added to that tally in the 2016/17 campaign, but the back end of the season was marred by controversy for him, as he faced a four-month ban imposed by FIFA for a breach of contract.
As per ESPN, he was also entitled to pay €100,000 in compensation to Turkish club Trabzonspor, for whom he agreed to sign as a teenager, according to the ruling of the Court of Arbitration for Sport.
However, he has seen out his ban, and is now ready to resume to playing professional football. Arsenal look intent on signing him, and Wenger appears to be doing all he can to secure the signing of the 23-year-old.
This could also be a direct message to Ozil, who is mulling over a contract extension at the Emirates. Calhanoglu’s arrival could see the German forced into making a decision soon, or end up being sold by the French manager.