According to Milliyet (via SportWitness), Arsenal are prepared to take concrete steps to sign Fenerbahce left-back Ferdi Kadioglu after reaching an agreement over personal terms.
The 24-year-old had a superb 2023/24 season with Fenerbahce where he registered 3 goals and 5 assists from 51 games. Kadioglu played from both full-back positions, but 82% of his appearances came from the left side of the back four.
It is now reported by Milliyet that Arsenal have reached an agreement over personal terms with the versatile star and they will now proceed to negotiate a transfer package with Fenerbahce for a summer move.
Milliyet claim that the Gunners may need to pay more than £17 million to sign the defender.
Quality full-back
Arsenal had the best defensive record in the Premier League with only 29 goals conceded. Despite this, manager Mikel Arteta may want to reinforce his backline options this summer and a new left-back could be prioritised.
Oleksandr Zinchenko, Jakub Kiwior and Takehiro Tomiyasu were handed adequate minutes in the position last season. Tomiyasu was the most impressive of the trio, but the Japanese star has had plenty of injury problems.
If Arsenal proceed to sign Kadioglu, one of Zinchenko or Kiwior could move on. It could be the former, considering Kiwior is predominantly a central defender and can also operate from the holding midfield position.
Kadioglu has impressed with his ability to operate from an inverted position as a right-footed left-back. His playing style is quite similar to Manchester City star Joao Cancelo, though he is better equipped defensively.
The Turkish ace does not shy away from making tackles. He possesses good recovery pace and tends to win most of his duels. If Arsenal can sign him for £17 million, he would represent a huge bargain this summer.
Arsenal could easily recoup the money spent by offloading Zinchenko during the transfer window. The 27-year-old has been defensively vulnerable but remains a quality attacking full-back and should attract bids.
