Arsenal, Liverpool and Manchester United have all reportedly watched Galatasaray striker Burak Yilmaz in action.
Manchester United, Liverpool and Arsenal are all interested in signing Burak Yilmaz from Galatasaray, according to the Daily Express.
The Turkey international has been in sensational form in the UEFA Champions League this season, with eight goals in eight matches to make him the competition’s leading scorer alongside Real Madrid star Cristiano Ronaldo.
His six goals in the Group Stage of the tournament prompted UEFA to name him as the best player in the competition so far, and it is of little surprise that he is attracting interest from some of the biggest clubs in Europe.
The Express quote an Observer interview with Galatasaray manager Fatih Terim, in which he states that any potential transfer will be down to the player himself.
“It’s not going to be easy to keep him,” said Terim.
“He has targets but it will be his decision. Being wanted is a good thing, but we are fond of him and believe he will do great things for us in the future.”
The Express name Manchester United, Arsenal and Liverpool as teams watching Yilmaz, and whilst the Red Devils are the strongest linked, they are also the team that require a striker the least.
Sir Alex Ferguson’s strikeforce of Robin Van Persie, Wayne Rooney, Javier Hernandez and Danny Welbeck is up there with the best on the continent, and it is Arsenal and Liverpool’s forward lines that could use a boost.
Of course, Liverpool have Luis Suarez, the Premier League’s leading goalscorer, and Daniel Sturridge has settled in well to the Reds’ starting line-up. The final place in their front three tends to be occupied by Stewart Downing, and perhaps an upgrade could be found in Yilmaz there – particularly with Andy Carroll seemingly having little future under Brendan Rodgers.
He, Sturridge and Suarez would make a formidable front three, but one suspects that Liverpool’s recruitment will be elsewhere this summer.
As for Arsenal, Olivier Giroud, Theo Walcott and Lukas Podolski have managed to score almost as many goals between them as Robin Van Persie did last season, but because none are quite at the Dutchman’s level, they don’t seem to flourish in the biggest games.
The goals of each player have come in fits and spurts, and in Arsenal’s most difficult matches against Manchester United, Manchester City, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea – the teams above them in the table – the three of Giroud, Walcott and Podolski have only scored once each against Spurs after Emmanuel Adebayor was sent off, while Walcott managed the Gunners’ single strike in their 2-1 loss to Chelsea.
There is certainly a place for a top striker in the Arsenal squad, but whether manager Arsene Wenger will spend the necessary money to sign one is a different matter.
Yilmaz’s form in Europe has undoubtedly been impressive, but whether he will move to a Premier League team this summer remains in doubt.
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