The Manchester United is said to be an admirer of Bayer Leverkusen's Hakan Calhanoglu. As such, the Red Devils are widely reported to be courting the attacking midfielder during the closing stages of the transfer window this summer.
Now, an Italian site called Tuttomercatoweb claims that the 137-year-old football club has set their sights on acquiring the Turkish player ahead of the January window.
Considered to be one of the rising stars of Germany's Bundesliga league, Calhanoglu has been included in Europe's most remarkable prospects. Being one of Germany's best free kick specialists, the 21-year-old was able to conquer even the likes of goalkeeper Manuel Neuer using his vicious, long-range dead ball strikes. Calhanoglu mostly plays behind the number ten in attacking midfield, but he can also efficiently perform out wide.
He has been compared to been to Arsenal's midfielder Mesut Ozil and was featured prominently for Leverkusen in the early weeks of the season. Calhanoglu delivered an outstanding performance in the latest Champions League victory over BATE Borisov, where he provided an assist and scored twice.
Apart from Manchester United, Italy's AC Milan is also reportedly racing to ink a deal with the Bayer Leverkusen player, according to Tutt osport. The Red Devils were recently linked with a rather late move to target Calhanoglu and reports from the UK's Metro last month claimed that the team offered the Turkish kick specialist about £26.4 million ($40 million) to get his signature for the upcoming season. While that apparently did not push through, it is believed that Manchester still holds a continuing interest in the Leverkusen midfielder.
Meanwhile, it looks like the English football club is also preparing to make a move to get German footballer Toni Kroos from Real Madrid. In addition to Calhanoglu, the Devils are also expected to secure Kroos' signature.
A Spanish online publication called Fichajes.net reported that the Real Madrid midfielder is concerned about his role in the team and that Manchester is using that as leverage to lure Kroos into signing with them.
Although Toni Kroos is definitely one of the best midfielders in the league, trading him might be a good move for Real Madrid from a financial perspective, Bleacher Report noted. The Spanish team acquired the German player last summer through a six-year contract worth £24 million ($36 million). The majority of the profit is said to be going to them should Kroos join another team.
