Arsenal and Tottenham are said to be among the clubs interested in signing Galatasaray winger Kerem Akturkoglu, but the Gunners are reportedly planning to open negotiations with the Turkish club as soon as the season finishes.
After Spanish giant Atletico Madrid and French side Lyon sent scouts to follow the 23-year-old footballer to matches against Beşiktaş and Barcelona last month, the two Premier League clubs also entered the race as likely suitors, reported Turkish language daily Akşam, via Daily Sabah.
Galatasaray executive Isitan Gun confirmed that much when he admitted a clear interest in the winger: "Kerem Akturkoglu had a very good season last year and is one of our best players this year season," he said. It's too early, but two Premier League teams and some La Liga teams have already expressed their interest in Kerem Akturkoglu."
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The club is reportedly expecting more than 20 million euros (£16.6m) for the attacker after recently rejecting a 15million euros (£12.5m) bid from Bundesliga outfit Wolfsburg.
Now, according to Turkish outlet Star Gazetesi, via the Express, Arsenal are planning to negotiate a deal once the season has been concluded. The winger has been one of the better performers for Galatasaray in what has been an unusually unsuccessful season for them.
Although he put pen to paper on a new bumper deal with Galatasaray, he's expected to move on and earn his current side a respectable fee in the process. At 23, the tricky dribbler ticks lots of boxes for Mikel Arteta and Edu, who have recently shown a tendency to target players in a similar age bracket.
Whether Arsenal can negotiate a move without too many hurdles remains to be seen, but it's definitely one to keep an eye on as we edge within weeks of the transfer window.
