Arda Guler will at least be a vaguely familiar name to anyone who followed Euro 2024 . But as Liverpool transfer links return, let's take a closer look at the Real Madrid teenager .
First, the transfer links: as the wait goes on for the first signing of the Arne Slot era (with Richard Hughes as the new sporting director), Liverpool has supposedly made Guler an offer he will struggle to turn down. That's per F365 , citing "reports in Spain".
Meanwhile, SPORT claims that Guler is ready to force a move away from Real Madrid this summer in search of more minutes. He made just four La Liga starts last season, clocking fewer than 400 minutes in total.
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That at least left him nice and fresh for the Euros, where Guler impressed with Turkiye. Perhaps surprisingly, he was not a guaranteed starter with the national team either, but ended the tournament as one of the side's undisputed leading lights.
Still just 19, Guler joined Real Madrid from Fenerbahce last summer. That in itself was something of a saga, with Barcelona poised to secure his signature until a late intervention from the Bernabeu.
He earned that transfer off the back of a relatively modest campaign in Turkiye, at least in terms of output. His final season with Fenerbahce saw Guler notch four goals and four assists from 20 appearances.
Even so, his influence on the pitch was beyond his years, a trait Real Madrid clearly noticed. It snapped him up — and despite a testing first campaign in Spain, he actually became the fastest player in the club's history (in terms of minutes played) to reach five goals.
But players of any age can struggle to seize a spot at the Bernabeu. Guler has featured in a few roles over the course of his young career, but his primary position is the right wing, where Rodrygo was plying his trade last season. Now, Kylian Mbappe is joining the roster.
Of course, Guler would run into a similar problem at Anfield , with Mohamed Salah in possession of the jersey. But Slot appeared to experiment with the Egyptian down the middle in the behind-closed-doors friendly against Preston , and the veteran is now 32 and into the final year of his contract.
Could Guler be the long-term heir? He's not an especially explosive winger in the mold that Slot has used before, but he is a left-footer who likes to cut in, and boasts some of the same creativity that makes Salah such a threat for Liverpool.
There's little doubt that his wonderkid status is still intact, even after a testing first year with Real Madrid. We're being made to wait for the first signing of the Slot era, but this would be an exciting one.
Liverpool.com says: Whether this link makes sense hinges on whether Liverpool and Slot consider Guler to be a right winger. The Reds could do with strengthening there, but don't need another attack-minded midfielder, which is the Turkish phenomenon's other main position.
From what we saw at Feyenoord, Slot seems to prefer more traditional wide men. But if Guler were actually available, the club might consider it too good an opportunity to pass up.
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