Mesut Ozil warns ‘Turkish Messi’ against Arsenal move as Barcelona ‘talking to Fenerbahce’
Mesut Ozil has warned Turkish wonderkid against a move to Arsenal (or anywhere else) this summer as Barcelona confirm they are in talks with Fenerbahce over a move for the 18-year-old.
The Gunners have already signed Kai Havertz for £65m from Chelsea and he will be joined at the Emirates by both Declan Rice and Jurrien Timber, who are set to complete moves from West Ham and Ajax respectively.
They’re also keen on Guler, who’s been labelled the ‘Turkish Messi’ after his impressive displays for Fenerbahce in the last couple of seasons, with reports claiming they ‘started the process’ to sign the teenager over a year ago.
But with a potential move to the Gunners on the cards, according to Mundo Deportivo, Ozil has intervened.
It’s claimed ‘Ozil has suggested that he should stay with Fenerbahce for the time being to continue his development’ and ‘think more about game time at this stage’ of his career.
Barcelona president Joan Laporta has already confirmed that the Catalans have opened talks regarding a deal for Guler, whilst the club’s new sporting director Deco travelled to Istanbul for discussions.
Laporta said: “He is a very young player, it is true that our scouts have been following him for a long time and many big clubs in Europe want him. We are talking to Fenerbahce.”
And according to Turkish outlet Hurriyet, Guler is set to meet with Fenerbahce president Ali Koc and coach Ismail Kartal on Monday to discuss his future, ahead of a possible meeting with Real Madrid ambassador Roberto Carlos.
Although Ozil has urged Guler to stay at Fenerbahce for now, the young star’s former coach at Genclerbirligi expects him to move on to bigger and better things sooner rather than later.
Erol Tokgozler told CNN Turk back in March: “I don’t think Arda will stay in Turkey too long. I know that there are offers from Arsenal and Bayern Munich.
“With each passing match, the number of these teams will increase. [Bids of] 20 to 30 million euros for Arda will be very ordinary.”
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