Chelsea, Arsenal among many others interested in Turkey U21 sensation Ali Akman — report

Chelsea and Arsenal are among the multitude of clubs around Europe monitoring Turkey U21 striker Ali Akman, according to the Daily Mail.

Akman, who plays for Bursaspor in the Turkish second division, has been in prolific form this season, scoring 9 goals and providing 3 assists in just 16 league appearances. The 18-year-old made his senior debut at the beginning of the 2019-20 season, and has amassed 42 professional appearances already.

Primarily a centre forward, Akman is also capable of playing on either wing, and has 13 goals and 5 assists to his name at senior level.

Alongside Chelsea and Arsenal, RB Salzburg and Galatasaray are also said to be interested in signing the youngster, with the latter two supposedly already making offers. There is also competition from unnamed clubs in Italy, France and Germany.

Akman’s contract expires at the end of the season (Ed. Note: making his agent a busy man, clearly) and he’s apparently unwilling to sign a new deal, which is forcing Bursaspor’s hand. They’re hoping to collect £3m in return, which might be cheap enough for a talent-lottery ticket. Chelsea already have a plethora of young, talented strikers, but there’s no such thing as too much talent!