Bid prepared: Arsenal line up €30m transfer raid on CL opponents Real Madrid
Arsenal are reportedly lining up a €30m transfer bid for Real Madrid’s talented young attacking midfielder Arda Guler.
The Turkey international has struggled to establish himself as a regular starter during his time at the Bernabeu, despite long being regarded as an outstanding prospect.
It could now be that Guler will need to move on to pastures new in order to get more playing time, and it seems he could get an opportunity with Arsenal.
According to Fichajes, the Gunners are preparing to try their luck with an offer of around €30m to see if they can tempt Madrid into doing business.
The report adds that it’s possible that talks could progress as Arsenal and Real Madrid are about to meet in the Champions League quarter-final tie this evening.
Can Arda Guler become the next Martin Odegaard for Arsenal?
Guler has been compared with Martin Odegaard in that he’s found himself at Real Madrid at a young age but without many opportunities to show what he can do.
Arsenal ended up signing Odegaard on an initial loan before bringing him in permanently, and Guler could be another talent worth trying to rescue.
The 20-year-old would surely get more minutes at the Emirates Stadium, with Mikel Arteta in need of more options in the attacking midfield department.
Arsenal found themselves overly reliant on Bukayo Saka this season, with the England international likely to have simply been overloaded with too many games before picking up a serious injury.
Guler could be a useful alternative to Saka on that right-hand side, while his versatility also means he can occupy a few other roles.
That could give Arsenal the opportunity to replace inconsistent attacking players like Gabriel Martinelli and Leandro Trossard.
Still, it remains unclear if Madrid will be too keen to let Guler go as they may feel it would be a blow to see another situation similar to Odegaard unfolding, with the Norwegian playmaker ending up becoming a world class star in north London.
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