Imagine a footballer with the pace of Kylian Mbappe, the trickery of Phil Foden and the raw running power of former Tottenham Hotspur and Real Madrid superstar Gareth Bale.
A fearsome prospect indeed.
But while comparisons have been drawn between one of Turkey’s Euro 2024 stars and three of the finest attackers of their generation, it’s fair to say Baris Alper Yilmaz has a long way to go before he can consider Mbappe, Foden or Bale as his equal.
He is, at least, on the right track.
HITC reported back in April that the Galatasaray forward had caught the eye of Premier League quintet Tottenham, Aston Villa, Manchester United, AFC Bournemouth and Brighton and Hove Albion after a superb, title-winning campaign.
According to Aksam, Yilmaz is valued in the region of £22 million.
Baris Alper Yilmaz tipped for Liverpool and Arsenal
That, of course, would be money very well spent if the man who has led the line for Turkey at this summer’s European Championships can add to his game the sort of ruthless streak that developed by Mbappe, Bale and Man City treble winner Foden.
But if he does – and Yilmaz has plenty of time on his side at the age of just 24 – then there may be no limits to how high he can fly.
At least, that is the view of Selcuk Inan. The former Galatasaray assistant coach who worked closely with Yilmaz during his first season at the Super Lig champions back in 2021/22.
“Baris Alper Yilmaz, I think, can play very easily in many teams in the Premier League right now,” Inan tells NutSpor, via Milli Gazete. “He is a very special player. We worked hard with him.
“If Baris Alper improves himself in the end product department, he can easily play for the best clubs in the world such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool and Arsenal.
“He is a player with very high potential. I hope he gets such a chance and represents (Turkey in a major team).”
This is not to say end product is something of a weak link. Seven goals and 12 assists last term was a respectable return.
Tottenham, Aston Villa, Brighton and Bournemouth – four clubs who can all boast a fine track record when it comes to unearthing diamonds in the rough – obviously feel there is considerable potential there to be moulded into something greater.
Man United, meanwhile, are looking for a young attacker to compete for the right-wing spot under Erik ten Hag. There have been links this week with Dan Ndoye of Bologna and Tijjani Noslin of Hellas Verona.
But Mbappe, Bale and Foden can all point to seasons where they broke the 20-goal barrier. Yilmaz is yet to come anywhere near that. He’s only scored twice in 18 Turkey caps too.
Those comparisons, then, feeling distinctly hypothetical for the time being.
Likened to Gareth Bale and Phil Foden
“I compare Baris Alper Yilmaz to Gareth Bale in terms of strength. He has the ability to sprint 3-4 meters after eliminating the opponent with the ball,” his former coach Ilker Puren tells GS Gazete.
“One day, he will definitely play in the Premier League because physicality comes to the fore there. He has also improved his positional knowledge.
“The level he is at now is close to Phil Foden.”
Yilmaz helped Turkey set up at Euro 2024 round-of-16 clash with Austria next week, starting during Wednesday’s dramatic late victory over the Czech Republic.
He tends to play as a centre-forward for his country. But, at club level, he has featured on either wing and even at full-back on the right or the left.
Yilmaz, speaking to TRT Spor, prides himself on his versatility, all the while throwing open the doors to Aston Villa, Tottenham and co as he laid out his transfer plans.
“Of course, I have dreams. As a Turk, I want to represent my country abroad,” Yilmaz explains.
“I do not look into transfer matters at all. I am focused on my work. My agent deals with those issues. This is our job. If it happens, what is necessary will be done. (But) I love watching the Premier League.
“If I’m going to play right-back, I watch good right-backs. And if I’m going to watch left-back, I watch good left-backs. We (at Galatasaray) also analysed Alphonso Davies before the Bayern match.”
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