Newcastle United are reportedly ready to make a move to land Arda Guler and have made contact with his family ahead of a potential move to the Premier League.
According to a report from Turkish outlet Karar, Newcastle United and Dutch giants, Ajax are the most serious teams in the race to secure 18-year-old left-footed gem Arda Guler from Fenerbahce. Guler’s family, who represent him in football matters, have been contacted by both European outfits regarding a summer move.
Despite being just 18 years of age, Guler has already made just shy of 50 appearances for Fenerbahce’s first team, scoring nine goals and providing 11 assists, demonstrating the double creative and goal-scoring threat he carries.
Known as the “Turkish Messi” in his homeland due to his relatively diminutive stature and great ability with the ball at his feet, Guler already has a senior appearance for Turkey to his name. Primarily an attacking midfielder, Guler’s technical ability made him stand out from a very young age, and he became Fenerbahce’s youngest-ever player when he made his debut in 2021.
The teenager has great versatility on the pitch and can play across midfield and attack, which is a modern-day attribute that will undoubtedly excite potential buyers. The player is said to be keen on moving to one of Europe’s big five leagues, while Fenerbahce are understandably hesitant to let their talented player go, but would sell him at the right price.
There is no surprise that clubs like Bayern Munich, Barcelona, Ajax, and Arsenal have been linked with a move for Guler this summer; however, Newcastle United are also in the running for his signature and have been heavily tipped to sign the teenager when the transfer window opens.
The Magpies have been linked with a move for Guler for a while now. Officials from Newcastle met with Guler and his representatives in Dubai last month. And reports suggest that the Magpies are willing to pay €20 million for his services.
It has, however, been reported in Turkey that the player could become available for as little as €5 million if he does not play 1,500 minutes of football this season thanks to a certain clause in his contract, which still has two years left to run.
Guler has completed 1392 minutes with two games remaining. If Fenerbahce do not offer the young attacker more playing time, they risk losing their bargaining power. If Guler were to join the Magpies, it would follow a now firmly established pattern of the Magpies’ recruitment team attempting to source the most promising young players from around the world at an early stage of their development.
From his numbers, Guler looks like a promising talent. Finding undervalued players from obscure leagues is a great way to not only add quality depth to their squad but also plan for the future and establish a solid footing amongst the elite without spending over-the-top money on transfers now that the Magpies are officially a Champions League club.
Newcastle are apparently aware of the widespread interest looming in the teenager and so want to make their move as quickly as possible to avoid a summer transfer saga.