Chelsea Submit Official Bid For Free-Kick Specialist Despite Competition From Manchester United
Jan 12, 2017 at 12:21 AM
Chelsea have submitted a bid for Bayer Leverkusen midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu as Antonio Conte searches for a replacement for Oscar, report The Sun.
The Blues find themselves in need of midfield reinforcements this month after the departures of John Obi Mikel and Oscar. It appears as though Conte has set his sights on who he wants to fill their shoes.
The Sun link Turkish reports in claiming that Chelsea have made an official approach to secure Calhanoglu’s services this month. The source claims that Chelsea sent scouts to watch the Turk in action merely days after Oscar sealed his big-money move to Shanghai SIPG.
However, as per The Sun, Chelsea are not the only team in the race for Calhanoglu’s signature. The tabloid believe that Manchester United are also interested, with Calhanoglu himself expressing his desire to join up with Jose Mourinho at Old Trafford.
The size of the bid remains unclear, but The Sun reported earlier this season at Bayer Leverkusen rated their talisman at £17 million – a fee that Chelsea would comfortably be able to afford.
Calhanoglu is an attacking midfield player who can also play out wide. He is known as a dead ball specialist, but that is far from the only string to his bow. He is a fantastic dribbler and can pick a great pass anytime.
The Turk is composed on the ball, strong and ideally suited to thrive in the Premier League, despite not being particularly quick. He glides around the pitch effortlessly and will keep Chelsea ticking over high up the pitch.
Calhanoglu’s prowess with a freekick is not to be scoffed at. He had the best conversion rate in Europe’s top five leagues last season, scoring 75% of his goals from dead ball situations with six.