Chelsea and Arsenal have both offered contracts to AC Milan player Hakan Calhanoglu, whose deal at the San Siro will expire at the end of the season. But Juventus are leading the hunt for Turkey’s international.
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Milan have been pushing to tie the 27-year-old to new terms for several months, but talks have reached a complete standstill recently and both parties are now considering their options.
According to Sky Italia, Calhanoglu is looking for a contract worth just over 4 million pounds per season (excluding bonuses), but Milan have only offered 3.4 million pounds and are not prepared to go higher. He is willing to come down something, but not to the level of Milan’s offer.
With things now standing still, Calhanoglu’s representatives are perceived to have received offers from Chelsea and Arsenal, both of whom are keen to lure him to the Premier League on a free transfer.
However, there is also great interest from Juventus, who are considering bidding the two English sides for Calhanoglu’s signature.
Mikel Arteta seems to be concerned about Calhanoglu | Pool / Getty Images
It is not exactly clear whether Juventus have made a formal offer or not, but they are said to be leading the race for Calhanoglu’s signature due to their willingness to meet the midfielder’s salary demands.
Calhanoglu has scored seven goals and 11 assists in all competitions for Stefano Pioli’s side this season. He is the team’s chief creator, and it seems that sides across Europe have noticed his eye for a pass.
Chelsea have been particularly desperate for anything to happen in the final third. Hakim Ziyech is their only real creative midfielder, and the Moroccan has not exactly started in England yet.
Thomas Tuchel already has many midfielders on his books Pool / Getty Images
One problem with the links to Chelsea is the Blues’ huge number of attacking midfielders already in the book. With Thomas Tuchel playing two number tens, he has to split minutes between Ziyech, Mason Mount, Timo Werner, Kai Havertz, Callum Hudson-Odoi and Christian Pulisic, so adding another to the mix doesn’t make too much sense.
You can make the same argument for Arsenal, who already have Emile Smith Rowe and the borrower Martin Odegaard on the books. The Gunners are keen to make Odegaard’s loan permanent this summer, but given the cost of such a deal, Calhanoglu on a free transfer could be a smart option.
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