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Arsenal are reportedly preparing to make an aggressive effort to push Real Madrid into selling €80m-rated attacking midfielder Arda Guler.
The Turkey international, who has been compared to former Arsenal and Real Madrid star Mesut Ozil by his manager Xabi Alonso (as per beIN Sports), is emerging as a top target for the Gunners this January.
That’s according to Spanish outlet Fichajes, who state that Arsenal look set to ramp up their offensive for Guler, even if it might prove tricky persuading Real to let him go.
The 20-year-old wasn’t initially getting regular starting opportunities at the Bernabeu, but he’s grown into his role now and has managed 15 starts in La Liga and five in the Champions League so far this season.
Guler has four goals and nine assists so far this season, including his numbers from last summer’s Club World Cup, so it’s clear he’s making an impact for Madrid.
It also looks highly likely that he’d be a useful addition to this Arsenal squad, which has at times this season looked a little unbalanced, with their strong defensive displays making them arguably the favourites for the Premier League title, while their attack hasn’t always clicked as some might have expected.
Part of that has been due to Martin Odegaard’s injury problems, but he’s looked back to his best in recent games and might prove a major obstacle to Guler seeing much playing time at the Emirates Stadium.
Another recent Fichajes report also linked Guler strongly with Manchester United, so it could be that they’ll end up being major rivals to Arsenal for his signature.
The Red Devils are in a much worse situation as they continue to struggle to put a consistent run together, so a signing like this would be a major statement to give them more quality in attack and perhaps help spearhead their push for a top four place.
Fichajes currently claim that Guler could cost around €80m, but overall it’s perhaps hard to imagine Real being at all keen to let the youngster go just as he looks like entering what could be the prime years of his career.
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