Liverpool will likely be made to wait for a decision on one player over whom they’ve reportedly made contact about possibly signing this summer.
Earlier this week, Marca reported (via The Mirror) that the Reds have been in touch with Real Madrid about a potential move for Arda Guler, with those claims having since been corroborated by Graeme Bailey for HITC.
The latter outlined that Los Blancos president Florentino Perez has no intention of selling the 19-year-old outright, although a loan deal could still be possible.
However, Liverpool are set to be kept waiting for a definitive answer from the Bernabeu, as Carlo Ancelotti wants to take a closer look at the Turkish attacker in pre-season before a decision is made.
Guler has been magnificent for Turkiye so far at Euro 2024, scoring a goal of the tournament contender against Georgia and scooping UEFA’s Player of the Match award that day, after which Real Madrid teammate Jude Bellingham sent him some glowing praise on Instagram.
Vincenzo Montella’s side have advanced to the knockout stages, and depending on how much further they go, it could delay the 19-year-old’s return to his club until late July.
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The arrivals of Kylian Mbappe and Endrick at the Bernabeu heighten the competition for places in Ancelotti’s attack and make it even harder for the Turkish gem to build on his tally of just 12 appearances from last season (although it must be noted that he was injured from August until January).
If it becomes clear over the next few weeks that Guler will inevitably be a bit-part player at Real Madrid, that could boost Liverpool’s hopes of signing him on loan and granting him the game-time that he wouldn’t get in the Spanish capital.
It could simply be a matter of Richard Hughes biding his time and casting a wide net for attacking alternatives until he receives further clarity on the plausibility of the Reds landing the teenage Turkiye prodigy.
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