Fenerbahce president Ali Koc is due to hold talks with the father of reported Liverpool target Arda Guler in the next few days, according to future club director Selahattin Baki.
Turkish-Football reported last week that the Reds have entered the race for the 18-year-old attacking midfielder after having scouted him and made contact with his representatives, with an offer expected to be presented soon.
The Istanbul club are believed to value the teenager at €25m (£21.5m) and are determined to try and retain his services if at all possible.
As per Turkish-Football, Baki revealed that Koc will speak with the player’s dad imminently, saying: “We will hold talks with Arda Guler’s father this week. We do not want to sell him, but there are offers. We will make a decision over his future after talking with his father over the next few days.”
Although the playmaker only turned 18 at the end of February, he’s already exceeded 50 senior appearances for Fenerbahce, several of which have come in Champions League and Europa League action, with a respectable return of nine goals and 12 assists (Transfermarkt).
The youngster boasts tremendous versatility, capable of playing on either flank and anywhere through the middle from central midfield upwards.
He’s also wowed a modern-day football legend in Andrea Pirlo, who gushed (via Hurriyet): “Arda Guler is a very talented player. He has the potential to play anywhere in the world.
“He has quality, he can read the game well, and he has great technique. If he keeps developing his game, there is no limit to his potential.”
An analysis from The Scouting App noted how the 18-year-old ‘stands out for his high quality technique, ball dominance, fantasy and influence in the last third’, also possessing a tremendous dribbling ability and a flair for bypassing opposition defences with his range of passing.
Those are all traits that Jurgen Klopp would love to inject into the Reds’ midfield, and Liverpool chiefs could be waiting eagerly for the outcome of the planned talks between Guler senior and Koc to see if they’ve a plausible chance of luring one of the most precocious playmakers in Europe to Anfield.