Arsenal ‘serious’ about signing Serie A golden boy in major blow to Liverpool; Schmadtke loves him
Juventus attacking midfielder Kenan Yildiz is one of the most exciting young players in Serie A and reports suggest Arsenal are ‘serious’ about signing him.
The 18-year-old has caught the attention of several top European clubs after breaking into Juventus’ first team this season.
Yildiz has made five Serie A appearances this term, all of which have seen him come off the bench.
He has also made made three appearances for the Turkish national team, scoring his first international goal in a 3-2 victory over Germany in a friendly last month.
As reported by our friends at TEAMtalk, both Arsenal and Liverpool are interested in signing Yildiz in the January transfer window.
Juventus boss Maximiliano Allegri has already said that Yildiz “will have a bright future in football” and based on his current trajectory, appears set to go to the very top.
Liverpool’s sporting director Jorg Schmadtke has urged Jurgen Klopp to sign Yildiz in January. He sees the Turkish star as someone who can play as a withdrawn forward, much like what Roberto Firmino used to do for the Reds.
However, it now seems that Arsenal are determined to beat the Merseyside club to Yildiz’s signature.
According to Italian outlet Tuttosport, Arsenal ‘are serious’ about signing the talented 18-year-old.
The report claims that while Liverpool have registered an interest in Yildiz, the Gunners are ‘the most attentive’ to the player’s situation and could make an offer for him in January.
As things stand, ‘an official offer has not yet been received’ by Juventus, with Allegri making it clear the Turkey star ‘must be kept.’
However, given Juventus’ ongoing financial issues, a sizeable offer could see the Italian club forced into a sale.
It’s stated that an offer of at least €35m (approx. £30m) would be required for Arsenal to have any chance of a deal this winter.
As for Yildiz’s agents, they are ‘certainly watching carefully’ regarding the interest from the Premier League given their client hasn’t been used in Juventus’ last four games.
The youngster is said to feel ‘very comfortable in Italy,’ but his future could depend on how many minutes he gets on the pitch in the next few weeks.
If Yildiz isn’t involved with the first team, then his representatives ‘will be able to evaluate the situation with Juventus, and even more so in case of concrete offers.’
With that in mind, it will be interesting to see if Arsenal, or indeed Liverpool are willing to match Yildiz’s £30m price tag in January.
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