Atletico Madrid Leading Race for Man Utd 'Target' Hakan Calhanoglu
By Mitch Wilks
Atletico Madrid have emerged as frontrunners in the race to sign Milan's Hakan Calhanoglu, amid reported interest from Manchester United and Juventus.
The 26-year-old has been one of many players to enjoy a revival of form under the tutelage of Milan head coach Stefano Pioli, but his future at San Siro remains uncertain heading into the final year of his contract.
Mundo Deportivo claim, via sources in Italy, that Atletico Madrid are one of the teams to be showing an interest in Calhanoglu, who will be available for free once his aforementioned contract expires.
This isn't the first time Atletico have been linked with Calhanoglu, as they were thought to be monitoring his progress during his time in Germany with Bayer Leverkusen. They were also rumoured to be considering a swap deal involving Angel Correa last year, but nothing came of that speculation either.
Milan are yet to put a financial package together that will satisfy Calhanoglu's wage demands, leaving Atletico - and Manchester United - reportedly 'in the lead' to seal his signing. Juventus have also expressed an interest in Calhanoglu, although reports elsewhere suggest he rebuffed their offer when he learned of interest from United.
It is worth noting that Calhanoglu isn't thought to be actively seeking a move away from San Siro, so renewing his contract should not be ruled out entirely.
Talk of a move to United would also appear to be wide of the mark, given the abundance of options that Ole Gunnar Solskjaer has in an advanced central midfield role. Throw in the fact that summer signing Donny van de Beek has barely had a look in this season, and the chances of Calhanoglu moving to Old Trafford appear even slimmer.
Instead, representatives close to the player could be looking to tout their client's services in the hope that interest from abroad will force Milan's hand when it comes to paying him higher wages. What is for certain is that Calhanoglu can be a match winner on his day, and has already racked up four goals and four assists for Milan in all competitions this season.