Arsenal eyeing £25m midfielder in January who could help their title charge

Arsenal are considering a bid to sign Inter Milan star Hakan Calhanoglu in January, according to reports.

Calhanoglu has proven himself as one of the best technical midfielders in Serie A since initially moving to AC Milan in 2017. His free-kick taking ability also stands out.

He is one of few players to play for both AC Milan and Inter Milan - something that wasn't lost on Milan star Zlatan Ibrahimovic when Rossoneri beat their rivals to the Serie A title last season.

His former boss at Milan, Stefano Pioli, described Calhanoglu as an "intelligent" player and a "leader" during an interview in 2020.

Italian outlet Calciomercato reported last month that both Manchester United and Newcastle hold interest in the midfielder.

But Arsenal appear to have now joined the race, with Mikel Arteta's side looking to add another midfielder to compete with current incumbents Thomas Partey and Granit Xhaka for a spot in the starting XI.

Hakan Calhanoglu to Arsenal?

The Turkish playmaker has a contract at San Siro until the summer of 2024, and it is claimed that the club are in talks to extend that deal after a strong start to the season.

Calhanoglu has two goals and four assists this term, with Inter currently in fourth position in Serie A.

Inter Live claim, however, that Arsenal and Aston Villa are both interested in signing the player, and could tempt Inter Milan with a bid of €30 million in January. Any Gunners move could bring interest in Leicester's Youri Tielemans to an end.

The Gunners were previously linked with signing the 28-year-old last year, as an alternative to Emiliano Buendia and Martin Odegaard.

Coincidentally, Buendia went on to sign for Villa from Norwich, whilst Odegaard joined Arsenal later in the summer.

Calhanoglu, therefore, stayed at San Siro, and went on to help his side finish second in Serie A, behind Milan.

He went on to record seven goals and 12 assists in the league last season - his best combined individual return in any of his campaigns in Italy.