Arsenal had been keen on signing Vinicius Junior from Real Madrid and despite reports surfacing that personal terms between the club and the player were agreed, Real Madrid tied the Brazilian international to a new contract until 2031.
Mikel Arteta now faces the tough task of searching for alternatives on the left wing with the season just a couple of weeks away and the position requiring significant bolstering following Leandro Trossard’s sale to Besiktas earlier in the summer.
Paris Saint-Germain’s Bradley Barcola has been linked with a switch to the Emirates Stadium of late and Arsenal are now pondering over a move for Juventus star Kenan Yildiz as well, Italian source La Stampa (h/t Calcio Mercato) has reported.
Yildiz did not have the best of World Cups with Turkey this year but remains one of Europe’s top talents, who could depart the Bianconeri this month in order to play in the Champions League and possibly earn a higher wage than he does in Italy.
An exceptional Vinicius alternative
Real Madrid’s Vinicius Junior would have been the dream signing for Arsenal as Mikel Arteta could have built his team around the 26-year-old, who has been particularly excellent in the Champions League over recent seasons for Los Blancos.
Nonetheless, the Gunners will be significantly bolstered by the addition of Kenan Yildiz from Juventus as his shooting, chance creation, dribbling, burst of pace and success rate in one-on-one situations make him a very potent option in the final third.
Yildiz can play closer to the byline to stretch defences or in the interior of the pitch, closer to goal, from where he is able to directly contribute to goals by shooting effectively from range or getting into clever positions in the box to finish off chances.
He is earning £5 million per year at Juve and Arsenal can offer him a significant increase in wage, while his asking price of £86 million will also be within their budget considering that they were ready to spend much higher on Vinicius’ acquisition.
It will be interesting to see if Juventus are prepared to sell Yildiz at this stage, however, as there is little time for them to sign a replacement.
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