Arsenal receive angry response to 'insulting' wonderkid approach

Tom Weber

• Updated: 24 Feb 2024 18:42 GMT
• 3 min read

Arsenal's attempt at stealing a march on the competition by swooping for Kenan Yildiz early has backfired, according to Italian media.

The Juventus wonderkid is one of Europe's most highly-rated youngsters. A senior Turkish international - and goalscorer - at just 18 years of age, Yildiz has been tipped for stardom from a young age.

After complaining over a lack of first-team minutes in late 2023, Yildiz was eventually given the chance to shine for Juventus and took it with both hands. His integration into the senior side bashed the hopes other clubs had of snapping him up in January, but transfer interest has not disappeared.

On the contrary, in recent days, reports surfaced that Man Utd had joined Arsenal and Liverpool on the list of clubs keen on Yildiz, with the Gunners said to be particularly intent on securing his signature. Sporting director Edu is a long-term admirer and seemingly tried to get ahead of the competition with an early approach.

Arsenal's insulting bid

At least that's according to Tuttosport, which claims that Arsenal have tested the water with a €40 million bid in recent days. However, the Gunners were swiftly rebuffed by Juventus, who are said to have responded angrily to this 'insulting' offer.

It is claimed that Bianconeri chiefs made it in no uncertain terms clear that this was well below their valuation of the player, even going so far as to suggest that they would not even sell for double that sum.

The outlet, echoing recent reports, does however suggest that a fee in the region of €60m could be enough to break the Old Lady's resolve. Juventus are trying to raise funds for big-money summer acquisitions and young talent could be sacrificed to achieve that, with the likes of Matias Soule and Dean Huijsen also touted as potential summer departures lately.