Arsenal get price for wonderkid ‘more talented than Ronaldo’ but face Man Utd battle

Robin Bairner

• 26 Feb 2024 12:23 GMT
• 3 min read

Arsenal have been told how much they must pay Juventus to land an 18-year-old who is said to be “more talented than Cristiano Ronaldo”.

The Gunners have been linked with a move for Juventus attacker Kenan Yildiz, with reports from Italy even indicating that they have sent the Serie A club an “insulting” offer for the Turkey international star.

This was not a promising start to negotiations, especially as competition potentially looms from Manchester United, who are also following a talented youngster who spent a decade in the Bayern Munich academy before moving south to sign for Juve.

Turkish outlet Aksam reports that Juventus have slapped an asking price of €60 million on the teenager – far more than the €40m offer that was touted.

The youngster has a billing as big as his price tag, with Turkey’s U19 manager Soykan Baskar previously stating: “Yildiz is more talented than Cristiano Ronaldo. His technique with the ball is superior to that of Portuguese.”

Yildiz's breakthrough season

Yildiz has featured on 18 occasions for Juventus’ first team this season, recording three goals during these games.

After debuting on the opening day of the season, he has started to see his status rise within the first team since making a scoring debut against Frosinone just before Christmas.

The teenager still only has an Estimated Transfer Value (ETV) of €6.8m, in part due to a lack of first-team opportunities. This has risen from €2.9m at the beginning of December.

Unfortunately for both Arsenal and Manchester United, signing Yildiz at present will be impossible unless he continues to earn more minutes into the Juventus first team.

He does not currently meet the criteria to receive a work permit to play in the UK following Brexit.

This could change by the summer but it is clear that Yildiz will be a long-term target for both Premier League giants.