Hakan Calhanoglu spent four years trying to justify his worth to AC Milan only to walk away after the Rossoneri finally secured their long-awaited return to the Champions League.
And if you’re wondering why the former Bayer Leverkusen playmaker is not sticking around at the San Siro – following what was undoubtedly the finest campaign of his Milan career – you’re not the only one.
Just to add to the confusion, Calhanoglu could walk away from the Champions League in favour of a move to a club that, just last month, missed out on European football for the first time since the mid-1990s.
According to Milan Live, Mikel Arteta’s Arsenal have held talks with the Turkey international as they continue to scour the market for a potential Martin Odegaard replacement.
Arsenal and Liverpool battle for Calhanoglu
Liverpool are also in discussions over a deal that would see Calhanoglu join forces with Jurgen Klopp at Anfield seven years after he left the Reds boss open-mouthed with one of the greatest free-kicks you’ll ever see in a 3-0 thrashing of Borussia Dortmund.
Corriere dello Sera believes that, after months of protracted negotiations, Calhanoglu is all but certain to follow Gianluigi Donnarumma out the door when his contract expires at the end of this month.
Udinese’s Rodrigo De Paul has been lined up by Milan as a ready-made replacement for Calhanoglu.
But, with a head-spinning £27 million offer from Qatar on the table, Calhanoglu has a big decision to make.
Does he seize the chance to play Premier League football for the first time? Or chase the cash all the way to the Middle East?
Here’s what some fans of clubs involved had to say on Twitter about the situation:
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