According to reports from The Metro yesterday afternoon, Arsenal have ‘started talks to sign’ Bayer Leverkusen’s set piece specialist Hakan Calhanoglu.
The 21 year-old, who was dubbed ‘the new Mesut Ozil’ by talkSPORT last month, is one of the Bundesliga’s most exciting prospects and particularly famed for his proficiency from dead ball situations.
It’s mostly responsible for the attacking midfielder’s career return of 46 goals and 34 assists in 154 appearances -including five goals and two assists in 14 outings this season.
Last month, it was revealed that Arsenal and Manchester United are both actively targeting the Turkish international – the Red Devils reportedly saw a £24.6million bid turned down by Bayer during the final week of the summer transfer window – whilst Premier League rivals Liverpool have also been mooted as potential suitors.
But according to The Metro, who cite reports from Spanish publication Fichajes, Arsenal have surged ahead of their rivals in the race to sign Calhanoglu by opening talks with the Bay Arena outfit.
It will require a rather sizable fee to convince the Bundesliga side into selling their brightest prospect, however, especially with his contract not set to expire until 2019.