Juventus contract ‘tug-of-war’ hands Arsenal chance to fix biggest Arteta problem | OneFootball

Tottenham Hotspur and Arsenal are set to fight it out for a Juventus superstar, according to reports in Italy.

Arsenal spent over £250million in the summer transfer window, while Tottenham’s expenditure was around £180m.

Arsenal’s January transfer window targets

The latter are expected to make more signings in January as they languish in 14th in the Premier League table, while it’s expected to be a quiet month for Arsenal.

According to Italian outlet TuttoJuve (via Sport Witness), there is a ‘tug-of-war’ between Juventus and Kenan Yildiz as the player is ‘demanding’ too much money in contract negotiations.

The 20-year-old reportedly wants a wage worth over £5m per year in his new deal, but this is deemed ‘too much’ for the Serie A giants.

The report states that Juventus are being ‘strict’ with their finances and don’t want to ‘overstep boundaries’, meaning they ‘could be resigned to losing him’.

Yildiz’s contract runs until 2029, so Juve are in a strong position if they wish to cash in. The issue is that the Turkish winger doesn’t feel he is being paid in line with his importance to the team – something Football Manager players can definitely relate to.

The Old Lady know that Yildiz’s value will be at its peak next year and will likely look to capitalise should they fail to agree fresh terms.

This has Premier League rivals Arsenal and Tottenham on red alert, with neither club said to be ‘fazed’ by Yildiz’s wage demands, and the latter ‘threatening’ the former.

Arsenal reportedly view Yildiz as a ‘partner’ for Martin Odegaard and someone who can take on some of the creative burden, while Spurs want him to ‘add urgency to the attack’.

Chelsea get a mention as well, obviously, but it does appear to be between the two north London clubs.

Arsenal need Yildiz’s X-factor in attack

Yildiz could be the X-factor signing Arsenal truly need to get over the line in the Premier League and Champions League.

Mikel Arteta might have the best squad in the Premier League, but the lack of game-changers and truly world-class talent in attack could be what lets him down…again.

Manchester City, their biggest title rivals, have Erling Haaland – the biggest difference-maker in the Premier League – and are set to add Antoine Semenyo to compete for attacking spots with Phil Foden, Jeremy Doku and Rayan Cherki.

You might argue that none of those players, aside from Haaland, are truly world-class, but they are all attackers with genuine X-factor.

Arsenal have Bukayo Saka, a genuinely outstanding footballer, but elsewhere in attack it still feels like something is missing.

Noni Madueke is looking very good in red, while Leandro Trossard remains a vitally important player who scores vitally important goals.

However, Viktor Gyokeres is yet to adapt to the Premier League, Gabriel Martinelli is wildly inconsistent, Ethan Nwaneri can’t get a kick, Ebere Eze has been underwhelming, and Martin Odegaard has been off the boil for a while.

Yildiz has the potential to be a transformative signing if Arsenal land him. It still feels like they need an elite left-sided forward – someone like Yildiz or Real Madrid’s Rodrygo.

And if it becomes a straight shootout between them and Spurs, there can only be one winner…