A club president has claimed that Arsenal do in fact have an interest in signing Galatasaray star Baris Alper Yilmaz.
The Gunners are yet to complete their first signing of the summer but have been linked with a host of potential new additions.
Bologna defender Riccardo Calafiori is seemingly edging closer to a move to the Emirates Stadium, and it remains to be seen who else could follow the Italy international this summer.
Yilmaz has been linked with a move to Arsenal ever since his impressive run of performances for Turkey at Euro 2024. The 24-year-old winger made five appearances for his country as Turkey reached the quarter-final of the tournament before losing to the Netherlands.
Reports in recent weeks have linked Arsenal with a move for Yilmaz, but they are not alone in the rumour mill.
Premier League rivals Liverpool are also supposedly interested, while Borussia Dortmund – who have Nuri Sahin as their new manager – have also been mentioned as being in the running.
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Before Yilmaz starred for Galatasaray, the forward played for Ankara Keciorengucu before he completed a move back in 2021. Now Keciorengucu president, Sedat Tahiroglu, has outlined Arsenal’s interest in Yilmaz and explained what fee the Gunners may need to pay to get a deal over the line.
“We have 20 percent of Baris Alper Yilmaz’s share but Galatasaray has not requested a meeting with us on this issue,” Tahiroglu told Turkish news outlet Aksam. “I hear Liverpool and Arsenal want him but I know Nuri Sahin definitely wants him [at Dortmund].
“I don’t think the price will be €50 million (£42 million). He can be sold for around €30 million (£25 million).
“The path needs to be paved for young people for Turkish football. Hopefully, he will make the decision that is good for him.
“The money is not important. The important thing is for Baris Alper to go to a team where he will be successful because he will be the face of Turkey.”
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