Manchester United could reportedly benefit from AC Milan’s stance of not offering Hakan Calhanoglu his desired contract. The Red Devils have been linked with a move for the Turkish international as his contract expires in the summer of 2021, but it remains to be seen how the situation will pan out.
As per Insidefutbol via Tuttosport, AC Milan are willing to offer Calhanoglu a contract worth €4 million a year, which is lower than his demands of a deal worth €5 million a year.
The Turk has been a key player for AC Milan since joining them in 2017 from Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen, and has played 140 times for the Rossoneri, scoring 27 and assisting 40 goals in the process.
Manchester United are expected to face competition from Atletico Madrid as per Spanish website AS (via Football Italia), but it’s likely that the Red Devils will be able to offer higher wages if they can agree a pre-contract deal in January.
Hakan Calhanoglu to Manchester United – A shrewd choice?
Manchester United’s attack seems heavily reliant on Bruno Fernandes as they look toothless without even. Despite boasting some talented players like Marcus Rashford and Anthony Martial, Manchester United’s midfield has barely mustered any creativity for the forwards to flourish.
Fernandes’ arrival changed all that in January, but for a club of Manchester United’s size, they can’t just be reliant on one attacking midfielder. Donny van de Beek is more of deeper midfielder, so the club need to sign another talented player who can feature in the number 10 role or provide the creativity.
(Photo by Emilio Andreoli/Getty Images)
Calhanoglu is that flair player who can unlock defences with his sublime range of passing. Like Fernandes, he has a certain level of Chutzpah about him when he players, be it with his passing, or his dribbling ability.
The 26-year old has been deployed as the number 10 in a 4-2-3-1 setup used by AC Milan manager Stefano Pioli, and he has forged a good understanding with the likes of Rafa Leao and Zlatan Ibrahimovic. This Milan side are currently top of the table, and Calhanoglu has been integral to that.
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Indeed, Calhanoglu averages a mammoth 3.9 key passes per game in the Serie A — higher than what Bruno has managed at Manchester United this season — and averages around 44 passes per game. Those are some pretty incredible numbers.
Calhanoglu is also pretty good at keeping the ball, having been dispossessed just once per game on an average this season.
Still only 26, he will hit his peak years soon and Manchester United have an outside chance of signing him for free. That would one hell of a deal if it goes through.
Stats via Whoscored