Reds fight Arsenal for Turkey star

MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 10: Jurgen Klopp of Liverpool looks on prior to the Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford on March 10, 2018 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)
MANCHESTER, ENGLAND - MARCH 10: Jurgen Klopp of Liverpool looks on prior to the Premier League match between Manchester United and Liverpool at Old Trafford on March 10, 2018 in Manchester, England. (Photo by Laurence Griffiths/Getty Images)

Liverpool and Arsenal are fighting to secure the transfer of Turkey star Caglar Soyuncu.

The Daily Mirror has reported that scouts from both clubs watched Soyuncu playing for his country against Russia.

According to the report, Atletico Madrid, Manchester United and Manchester City have all had eyes on the defender in the past.

Virgil van Dijk needs a long term partner and it seems clear that Dejan Lovren and Joel Matip aren’t the ones who are going to deliver the goods – and that’s where the Freiburg man could come into play.

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After the game, Soyuncu spoke to the media and stated that his future would be sorted out when he makes a return to his club, wrote the newspaper.

With 26 Bundesliga games under his belt last season, the 22-year-old emerged as an important member of the Baden-Württemberg outfit. With a value of £16.2 million, according to Transfermarkt, it could take a fairly big chunk of cash to persuade Freiburg to let their man leave.

Soyuncu was signed for just under £2.5 million in the summer of 2016, and the Bundesliga club’s scouts have to take immense credit for their find. The youngster already has 16 international caps and his stock continues to rise.

The Gunners are hot in his tail, said the Mirror, and are led by former Borussia Dortmund man Sven Mislintat – who is their new head of recruitment. Mislintat obviously knows the league well, and the fact that he’s turned his attention to the Turk is a testament to his potential.

But with Joe Gomez in the squad, does manager Jurgen Klopp need to look to the transfer market for a partner for van Dijk? If Gomez is moved into a central defensive position, it would still leave Nathaniel Clyne and Trent Alexander-Arnold as the right-backs.

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Gomez is also an imposing athlete and has a lot of room to improve. With the former Charlton man playing alongside van Dijk and senior heads like Lovren and Matip, things can only get better.