According to a report on Sky Sports, Chelsea are looking to sign AC Milan midfielder, Hakan Calhanoglu, in the summer window of 2021. They are set to engage in a battle with Juventus and Arsenal in a bid to lure the creative midfielder to their club.
Hakan Calhanoglu is in the final two months of his contract with AC Milan. The Italian club did offer him an extension but the player was unimpressed with the new deal. The club tabled an offer of 4 million Euros per season but Calhanoglu wants a million more than that to stay at San Siro.
Juventus are said to be the front-runner in this race. The Old Lady is ready to pounce on another free agent and is willing to meet the midfielder’s wage demands.
Mikel Arteta led Arsenal are another club that are exploring the possibility to sign Calhanoglu.
The 27-year old midfielder was once dubbed as “the new Mesut Ozil”. Hakan Calhanoglu is inventive in and around the box and impacts the game in a positive manner with his vision. He is a free-kick specialist and a player who can create a goal out of nothing.
Martin Ødegaard has had a great start to his life at Arsenal as a loanee but if the Gunners fail to make this move permanent, they might look at Calhanoglu as a viable alternative.
Will Hakan Calhanoglu be a valuable addition to Chelsea?
Chelsea had a massive summer window last year where they spend $292 Million on five players. Frank Lampard lost his job because he failed to get the best out of these new players which saw Chelsea way off the pace in the race for the top four at one point in time.
Timo Werner, Kai Havertz and Hakim Ziyech, all the three attacking players are still struggling to adapt to Premier League football and we are nearing the end of the season. This is one of the reasons the Chelsea board will be apprehensive of adding another foreign player to the mix.
Hakan Calhanoglu plays as a number 10 or wide on the left. Thomas Tuchel already has Pulisic, Mount, Ziyech, Havertz and Hudson-Odoi to play in these positions. Even Werner has been used on the left flank regularly to incorporate Giroud, Tammy Abharam or Havertz as the number nine.
There is no doubt regarding the talent Calhanoglu possesses and the fact that he will add value to whichever team he moves to. But given the abundance of attacking riches the Blues possess, the manager will surely struggle to meaningfully incorporate another creative player in the mix.
If Chelsea have a sound budget to spend, they should sign a prolific number nine who can score 20+ goals for them in a season. Only if they can get a striker of high quality, they will have a genuine chance to challenge for the league title. Thomas Tuchel has enough players who can create chances but needs someone who can finish those chances. Going after Hakan Calhanoglu is not what Chelsea really need right now.
