Goals and assists galore – Why Man Utd, Juventus & Inter want free transfer Calhanoglu

Carlo Garganese

• Updated: 19 May 2021 15:43 BST
• 2 min read

There are a number of big stars in European football whose contracts are expiring in 2021.

Lionel Messi, David Alaba, Sergio Ramos, Georginio Wijnaldum, Sergio Aguero, Arkadiusz Milik and Angel di Maria are just a small selection of the players who could be Bosman bargains.

AC Milan, in particular, could suffer from this situation as three of their best players all see their deals run out next summer; Zlatan Ibrahimovic, Gigi Donnarumma and Hakan Calhanoglu.

While Zlatan and Donnarumma are expected to sign new contracts, there are growing concerns that Calhanoglu won’t.

And the Turkey international will represent one of the bargains of the year should he depart San Siro.

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Both Juventus and Inter are closely monitoring developments, according to a number of sources in the Italian media, with the Bianconeri in particular on the lookout for an attacking midfielder.

Meanwhile, Manchester United have also regularly been linked with the former Bayer Leverkusen man.

It is easy to see why Calhanoglu is garnering such attention.

After a difficult start to his career at Milan, he has exploded into life in 2020 to show why he was once regarded as one of the most promising midfielders in European football.

This calendar year he has scored a hugely impressive 14 goals for club and country – 13 of them for Milan. He has also delivered 12 assists in Serie A during this time.

This season he has five goals and four assists in 14 games, although his performances have dipped in the last few games – perhaps because of his contract situation.

An attacking midfielder with one of the best long-range shots in the game, Calhanoglu averages an impressive three shots and 2.5 key passes a game this season.

He also makes 2.7 dribbles per 90 minutes and 13 challenges.

The 26-year-old is a key part of an AC Milan team who are currently top of Serie A and building an energetic young team that also boasts Theo Hernandez, Ismael Bennacer, Alessandro Romagnoli and Franck Kessie.

Milan will be desperate to tie Calhanoglu down to a new contract as Juventus, Inter and Man Utd watch on eagerly.