Arda Guler deal agreed after Arsenal scouting mission
The future of Real Madrid superstar Arda Guler has been decided following a fresh scouting mission from Arsenal.
The Turkish wonderkid has firmly overcome his early struggles in Spain and become an increasingly important player for Real Madrid over the past year or so. Guler made 51 appearances for the capital club last season, bagging six goals and 14 assists.
Despite the managerial change at Real Madrid, Guler's role has not diminished. Jose Mourinho has become infatuated with the 21-year-old and has started him in five of his seven LaLiga games in charge. The playmaker has repaid that faith with a goal and three assists.
The legendary Portuguese manager has hailed Guler as an "incredible" player with "huge influence" over Real Madrid's style of play. "His vision, decisiveness, playmaking, the stability he brings to the team, his creativity. He’s a player with fantastic potential who already has very impressive stats," Mourinho said.
The fact that Guler hasn't always been a guaranteed starter at Real Madrid has resulted in long-standing interest from numerous big-hitters in the Premier League, most notably Arsenal and Liverpool. They scouted him at Euro 2024 and a still keeping tabs on his development to this day.
Guler deal agreed
Indeed, according to TEAMtalk, Guler was one of the players Arsenal kept a close eye on during last week's scouting mission at Turkey's clash with Italy, in which they also monitored Inter striker Pio Esposito.
The Gunners have repeatedly enquired about Guler's potential availability since his early struggles at Real Madrid. They made a fresh attempt at signing him earlier this year, but once again, their efforts were frustrated.
And that seemingly won't change anytime soon. That's because Guler has agreed to sign a new contract at Real Madrid, AS understands. It was already reported last month that the Turkey international was likely to extend his deal.
Terms on a two-year extension from 2029 to 2031 are now in place, with Guler set to receive a raise to reflect his newfound importance to Real Madrid. It is also a continued bet on his potential.
Guler will still only be 26 and in his prime by the time his new deal expires. As Mourinho has pointed out, the 21-year-old has a bright future ahead of him and could still develop into an even better, more complete player.
According to data analytics firm SciSports, no Real Madrid player under the age of 22 has a higher ceiling than Arda Guler. His best-in-the-world potential is echoed by his Estimated Transfer Value (ETV), which has exploded to €108.6 million over the past month.
For Arsenal, this extension means that the chances of securing Guler look slim to none for the foreseeable future. This, in turn, is good news for captain Martin Odegaard and wonderkid Max Dowman, who may have suffered from the arrival of a left-footed, right-sided playmaking attacker.
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