Arsenal and Liverpool ‘competing for transfer’ of Juventus ace fresh off career-changing display

Arsenal and Liverpool are both weighing up moves for Juventus forward Kenan Yildiz fresh off his brilliant two-goal cameo that stunned Inter Milan on Sunday, according to a report.

Juventus travelled to the San Siro to face Inter on Sunday and looked to be staring defeat in the face. Inter led 4-2 heading into the final 30 minutes, prompting manager Thiago Motta to introduce Kenan Yildiz into the action just after the hour mark.

The 19-year-old – who had been a regular starter prior to the contest – scored two goals to rock Inter and secure a vital point for Juventus. It would certainly come as a surprise if Yildiz were relegated to the bench again any time soon.

And according to Caught Offside, Premier League giants Arsenal and Liverpool are both ‘competing’ for his signature.

Yildiz can play in a wide variety of positions in the forward line. He is naturally right-footed, though is more than comfortable with his left and both goals against Inter came from his left foot.

Caught Offside state Arsenal view Yildiz as a player capable of lightening the load on Bukayo Saka on the right side.

Liverpool, meanwhile, also have question marks on the right flank given the continued uncertainty regarding Mohamed Salah. The Egyptian ace is in the final year of his contract.

Kenan Yildiz can be ‘world class’

Yildiz slipped through Bayern Munich’s fingers when joining Juventus in 2022. After spending a year in their reserve team, Juventus Next Gen, Yildiz was promoted to the senior side for the 2023/24 campaign.

Yildiz has already amassed 17 caps for Turkey and per the report, is widely believed to possess ‘world class potential.’

The report offered no indication as to whether Yildiz would be open to moving to England or how much Juventus would demand if cashing in.

However, it could be telling that Yildiz signed a contract extension with Juventus just two months ago in August. His stay in Turin was extended to 2029 and given his increasing influence at Juve, it may require a monumental effort to bring him to England any time soon.

Carragher’s Alexander-Arnold concern / Gabriel Jesus approach

In other news, Jamie Carragher believes Trent Alexander-Arnold’s recent comments about winning the Ballon d’Or suggest he’s destined to join Real Madrid.

“My first thought when I read that was, ‘you’re not going to win the Ballon d’Or as a right-back for Liverpool’. Ballon d’Or winners normally play for Real Madrid or Barcelona, that’s where the best players in the world go,” the pundit said on Sky Sports.

“If that’s his ultimate ambition… I think he was asked about winning the Champions League, the World Cup or the Ballon d’Or and he chose the Ballon d’Or which I think is a bit strange or bizarre. He’s always picked the World Cup or the Champions League [before] – it’s a team game.

“He’s got massive ambition and why not, you only get one career. He is a unique full-back, he’s absolutely amazing. He gets Liverpool back in the game today with the pass.

“But the first thing that came to me when I read that interview is that that makes me think he’s going to Real Madrid. I actually think Virgil van Dijk and Mo Salah will stay, I do believe that.”

Elsewhere, Palmeiras president, Leila Pereira, has revealed Arsenal rejected an approach for Gabriel Jesus over the summer.

“Gabriel Jesus is not coming,” Pereira told O Globo. “We got in touch with Arsenal and they said; ‘Leila, there are no conditions [to sell] whatsoever. We are not going to negotiate the athlete’.

“[They] closed the subject.”

TIMELINE: Kenan Yildiz’s rapid rise

By Nathan Egerton

• July 2022 – Juventus fought off competition from Barcelona to sign Yildiz on a free transfer following the expiration of his contract at Bayern Munich.
• December 2022 – After initially playing for the Under-19s, he made his senior debut for Juventus Next Gen in a Serie C game against Virtus Verona.
• August 2023 – He came off the bench to make his Serie A debut for Juventus in a 3-0 win over Udinese.
• October 2023 – The forward made his senior international debut for Turkey, coming off the bench in a Euro 2024 qualifier against Croatia.
• November 2023 – Yildiz scored his first international goal for Turkey in a 3-2 defeat against Germany.
• December 2023 – He scored his first Serie A goal for Juventus in a 2–1 win over Frosinone, making him the club’s youngest foreign goalscorer in Serie A at the age of 18 years and 233 days.
• May 2024 – The 19-year-old won the first major trophy of his career after making a substitute appearance in the 2023/24 Coppa Italia final win over Atalanta.
• July 2024 – He made five appearances for Turkey at Euro 2024 and helped the country reach the quarter-finals.
• August 2024 – Yildiz signed a new contract at Juventus and was given the No 10 shirt, following in the footsteps of Alessandro Del Piero, Paul Pogba and Paulo Dybala.
• September 2024 – He marked his Champions League debut with a goal in a 3-1 win over PSV Eindhoven. The goal made him the youngest-ever goalscorer for Juventus in the Champions League, beating the record set by Del Piero.
• October 2024 – Yildiz came off the bench to score his first Derby d’Italia goals, netting a brace in a 4-4 draw with Inter Milan.

GO DEEPER: Kenan Yildiz: Who is the Arsenal and Liverpool target and how would he fit in for either club?