Aston Villa and West Ham United are among the teams ready to rival Tottenham for Galatasaray winger Kerem Akturkoglu ahead of January.
According to Team Talk, Aston Villa and West Ham United have joined the chase for Kerem Akturkoglu ahead of the January window. The Turkish star has been in good form this season and already has the attention of Tottenham following some stellar performances for Galatasaray and Turkey.
Galatasaray made a bold statement a few weeks ago when they defeated Manchester United at Old Trafford. That win elevated their confidence to finish above the Red Devils in their Champions League group, and one of their players has been making it into the transfer pages.
Galatasaray’s 24-year-old star, Kerem Akturkoglu, has seen his stock rise this season following some impressive performances for club and country. He recently helped Turkey qualify for Euro 2024 and remains on course to have a good season with the Istanbul giants.
Tottenham were early to show an interest ahead of the January window. Ange Postecoglou had wanted a new winger since the injury-related loss of Ivan Perisic and the subsequent fitness issues with Manor Salomon. Much like Akturkoglu, those stars operate on the left-hand side.
More importantly, Postecoglou views Son Heung-min in the centre-forward role on a full-time basis and would need a new addition on the left wing. Akturkoglu would perfectly fit their bill, but there’s plenty of competition for the 24-year-old Tottenham target.
For starters, the report mentions at least four other Premier League clubs vying for his signature. Among those are West Ham United, who have an interest in Akturkoglu and Aston Villa, with Unai Emery likely to look for a new left winger in January.
For West Ham, the left wing has been a problem lately, and David Moyes may have wanted a new option during the summer. But with the priority of strengthening their central midfield, he needed more time to shore it up.
Mohamed Kudus arrived from Ajax, but the Ghanaian is more suited to a central role behind the striker or on the right wing than on the left side. Hence, targeting a new wide attacker will feature on Moyes’ agenda ahead of January.
In Aston Villa’s case, they are facing an uncertain period with the future of Nicolo Zaniolo. The player is on a loan contract from Galatasaray, but more importantly, there’s a big ban looming over his head following illegal betting allegations.
Fellow Italian international Nicolo Fagioli is already banned for seven months, and Sandro Tonali is next in line to receive his punishment. Zaniolo could also face the music, and hence, Villa are gearing up to chase the 24-year-old Tottenham target Akturkoglu.
In any case, Galatasaray would ideally like to keep Akturkoglu beyond the January window, but currently, they can get the best possible value for the attacker. Hence, they might sanction a sale if the right offer arrives, especially from Premier League clubs.