Sassuolo may accept just £9 million for Mert Muldur as Premier League rivals Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United battle for the Turkey international, as reported by the Star.
Forgive us for feeling slightly pessimistic but, if a bidding war breaks out between three of the biggest clubs in English football, it feels inevitable the versatile defender will see his price tag soar before the summer is out.
On Wednesday, the Daily Mail reported Spurs managing director of football Fabio Paratici is a big fan of 22-year-old Muldur, a right-back by trade who impressed on the opposite flank during Turkey’s otherwise fraught Euro 2020 campaign.
Muldur is also a target for West Ham, while an Arsenal side looking to restructure an underachieving squad are watching closely too (Athletic).
But with Sassuolo expected to sell Italy maestro Manuel Locatelli for a fee in the region of £40 million before the end of August, it seems rather fanciful to suggest the Serie A outfit would have to cash in on Muldur too – especially for less than £10 million.
Muldur in the spotlight for Arsenal, Tottenham and West Ham
Having said that, in addition to interest in England there’s another problem for Sassuolo to consider.
Muldur, after two seasons of steady development at the Mapei Stadium, appears to have his heart set on a fresh start elsewhere.
“I talked about him with Napoli because Mert is a very promising full-back, still young and who played well against Switzerland as a left-back,” Muldur’s agent Max Hagmayr said a few weeks ago.
“We will see what happens in the summer. Muldur would like to take the next step in his career.
“It’s hard to say now but I can say all players would be happy to play for Napoli. Right now, he has a contract with Sassuolo until 2024 (but) Mert feels ready for the next step.”
Should Tottenham win the race, Muldur could replace want-away Serge Aurier in Nuno Espirito Santo’s squad.
Arsenal, meanwhile, have been tipped to sell Hector Bellerin in the next couple of weeks.
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