Arsenal may be forced to cough up extra cash this winter due to the actions of bitter north London rivals Tottenham. Gunners sporting director Edu is reportedly keen on Juventus star Kenan Yildiz, but the youngster’s signature will come at a price due to Spurs chasing their own Bianconeri target.
Suitors are circling around Juve as they attempt to raise cash for a midfield revamp. Paul Pogba and Nicolo Fagioli are both out of action due to long-term suspensions, forcing Massimiliano Allegri’s side into the winter transfer market.
The Turin giants need to sell before they can buy, and Tottenham could be the first club to provide a cash injection. Ange Postecoglou and co are understood to be monitoring Samuel Iling-Junior, who has been slapped with a £15.5million price tag.
Spurs following through with the deal would give Juventus some much-needed financial breathing room, and with it, choices over which players to keep under lock and key.
According to Tuttosport, the Italian side are keen to retain the services of 18-year-old Yildiz. The versatile forward has broken into Allegri’s first-team picture this season, although he has exclusively been used from the substitutes’ bench so far.
Tottenham’s willingness to pay up for Iling-Junior is likely to see a more secure Juventus attach a hefty asking price tag to Yildiz, with reports indicating that Arsenal would need to offer around £34m for negotiations to progress.
“I’ve always said it from day one – Eddie Nketiah is not going to win you the Premier League,” he told Sky Sports. “You need a proper centre forward. It’s alright sitting there and thinking ‘they need a centre forward’ – but who is there?
“Only Ivan Toney is available for them in January – there aren’t many centre forwards around in the world. They’re a dying breed. Toney is a good player – he can hold the ball up, he’s good in the air. Arsenal might have to go for him. But there are not a million centre forwards around.”
