Arda Guler’s teammate ramps up transfer pressure on Real Madrid

Inter midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu has stoked the flames of transfer speculation linking his international teammate Arda Guler with a move away from Real Madrid to the Serie A giants.

Guler was suspended for Turkiye’s 3-1 victory over Hungary on Thursday evening but remained the most prominent topic of conversation. The immensely gifted playmaker has struggled for first-team minutes at Real Madrid all season, mustering just six top-flight starts, which has prompted rampant rumours surrounding his future.

Inter emerged as interested suitors in recent days. As a regular for the Italian outfit and Guler’s compatriot, Calhanoglu would not have been blindsided by the line of questioning he received this week.

“Arda is a very important player; he’s like a little brother whom I love very much,” the 31-year-old said of his junior teammate. “I’d like him to come play with us – at Inter – although I don’t know if that’s true.”

“I don’t know what his situation is at Real Madrid,” Calhanoglu continued, “that’s why I don’t want to get too involved in this situation because in the end he knows more, although of course I want and believe he deserves to play more minutes.”

Even though Guler has made fewer league starts for Madrid this season than Dani Carvajal, who has been injured since the first weekend of October, Turkiye’s national team manager Vincenzo Montella insists that the 20-year-old star is still on the rise. “He’s improved a lot in terms of attitude and character,” the Italian coach gushed this week. “He’s learned to fight and he’s here with us because he has exceptional talent.”

Guler is also thought to be a target for Bundesliga outfit Eintracht Frankfurt. A return to the Turkish top flight has been floated while Arsenal were briefly linked with a winter pursuit only for no loan deal to materialise.