Manchester United have been urged to fight it out with Liverpool this summer to sign Turkey and Real Madrid star Arda Guler. The 19-year-old was already considered a searing prospect ahead of Euro 2024, but his stock has now risen considerably after scoring a stunning goal in his country’s 3-1 win over Georgia.
The strike made himthe fifth-youngest goalscorer in the tournament's history and the youngest debutant to find the net, breaking Cristiano Ronaldo's previous record.
He struggled to have the same impact in the subsequent 3-0 defeat against Ronaldo’s Portugal, but a clamour for his signature is now expected as soon as Turkey exit the tournament in Germany.
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Former Manchester United striker Dwight Yorke has urged his old club to make a move. The current transfer window represents Sir Jim Ratcliffe’s first opportunity to oversee a squad overhaul at Old Trafford, having now confirmed manager Erik ten Hag will remain in charge.
And 1998/99 treble winner Yorke has argued the player is too good to be sitting on the bench at Madrid, having made just 12 club appearances last season. "Arda Guler has some talk about him being this wonder kid for a couple of years now, and he's shown he does have that special quality when he scored the wonder goal for Turkey,” he told Crypto Sports Betting.
“He has lit up the Euros, and now everyone will be wanting to rescue him from Real Madrid's bench. We've seen the likes of Kevin De Bruyne and Mohamed Salah leave a big club like Chelsea and it has benefited their careers, who is to say that Guler leaving Real Madrid to join Man United won't be a similar case?
“He needs an opportunity to play week in and week out. Everyone looks for an experienced, quick fix, but we shouldn't look past Guler who can become world-class. I'm all for Man United signing him."
Comparisons to Salah in particular can be considered ironic, given Liverpool have also been linked with the Fenerbahce youth product. According to Estadio Deportivo, the Reds want Guler as part of a double raid on the Bernabeu this summer, with new manager Arne Slot also keen on signing Rodrygo.
The La Liga champions are yet to give any indication that Guler is for sale though. Despite his limited game time in the 2023/24 campaign, he struck six times for Los Blancos, becoming the fastest player Madrid's history to score that many top-flight goals having taken just 330 minutes of playing time.
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Guler signed for Carlo Ancelotti last summer after a £17million bid activated his release clause. And critically, he penned a six-year deal, meaning Madrid will be in no rush to let him go given he won’t be eligible to leave for free until 2029.
Guler’s reputation will only be enhanced if he’s able to help fire Turkey into the last-16 of Euro 2024. They face the Czech Republic on Wednesday, with a point almost certain to be enough to see them into the knockout stages.
