Manchester United have entered the transfer race for highly-rated Galatasaray winger Kerem Akturkoglu.
Since joining Galatasaray from 24 Erzincanspor in 2020, Kerem Akturkoglu has been brilliant for the Turkish giants, amassing 34 goals and 37 assists in 135 games. He helped Galatasaray win the Turkish Super Lig title last season and has attracted interest from a number of top European clubs after his sizzling start to the 2023/24 season.
The Turkey international has bagged five goals and seven assists in 16 games across competitions, including a fantastic finish in Galatasaray’s 3-2 win over Manchester United at Old Trafford in the Champions League group stage earlier this month. Akturkoglu is reportedly now on the radar of Manchester United, but they face competition from Premier League rivals such as Arsenal, Tottenham and Liverpool.
Man United to offload Jadon Sancho in January
Jadon Sancho has been frozen out of the Man United squad since falling out with Erik ten Hag when he was left out of the squad for the trip to Arsenal in September. His current future at the club remains bleak, with manager Ten Hag slamming the winger for his poor performances in training.
The United boss claimed that the player’s “performance on training” led to the player not being included in United’s squad for the away game against Arsenal, to which Sancho posted on social media that he was being made a “scapegoat”.
The England international has been training away from the first team after refusing to apologise to Ten Hag, and his United career seems all but over. With the Red Devils open to listening to offers for Sancho in January, Juventus are planning to hand the winger an escape route from Old Trafford. The Serie A giants want to sign Sancho on loan with a view to turning it into a permanent £ 60 million deal next summer.
Kerem Akturkoglu linked to Man United
With Sancho’s time at the club almost up, coupled with the uncertainty surrounding Antony’s availability going forward, Ten Hag’s priority is to sign a quality winger in the winter transfer window. The Dutch tactician is looking for a versatile player who can contribute goals and assists in equal measure, and Kerem Akturkoglu fits the profile perfectly.
A left-winger by trade, Akturkoglu can also operate as a second striker when required. The Turk’s arrival could boost United’s goalscoring threat from out wide, whilst being a like-for-like Sancho replacement. He would give Ten Hag more options in attack, enabling the United boss to manage the game time of influential players such as Marcus Rashford and Bruno Fernandes.
If Ten Hag and United are genuinely interested in Akturkoglu, they must start planning from now on to sign him in January as Tottenham are trying to be in pole position by entering into talks with the Galatasaray winger’s camp.
I am Rohan Sengupta from one of the busiest cities in India, Mumbai. A Journalism graduate with a keen interest in sports, football is something I simply cannot live without and writing, discussing and analyzing the game is what I do 24*7.
