Arsenal ready to make surprise move for £20m-rated Newcastle United and Aston Villa transfer target

Newcastle United and Aston Villa have been routinely linked with a move for Turkey international Ferdi Kadioglu over the last year - but they will now face competition from Premier League title contenders Arsenal.

The versatile full-back has become a key part of Fenerbahce’s plans since he moved to the Turkish giants in a cut price move from Dutch club NEC Nijmegen during the summer of 2018. His move to the Şükrü Saracoğlu Stadium has led to the 24-year-old earning significant experience in the Europa League and Europa Conference League and he lifted the Turkish Cup last season when Fenerbahce claimed a 2-0 win over Istanbul Basaksehir.

Kadioglu’s has also earned 15 senior caps for Turkey over the last two years after featuring alongside current Newcastle star Sven Botman and reported Magpies transfer target Teun Koopmeiners within the Under-21 setup with the Netherlands. Kadioglu, who can play on both sides of a defence and in a holding midfield role, reportedly attracted interest from both Newcastle and Villa over the last 18 months - but Arsenal are the latest Premier League club to be linked with a move for his services according to reports in Turkey. News outlet Aksam have claimed the Gunners have been keen admirers of the full-back ‘for a while’ and are now ready to make an official offer to Fenerbahce during the summer transfer window.

The report states the Turkish club will demand a fee of around £21m for one of their prize assets but then suggests Arsenal will only offer around £16m for a player that has three goals and four assists in 45 appearances in all competitions for his club so far this season. Tottenham Hotspur have also been strongly linked with a move for Kadioglu but it is their North London rivals that are expected to make the first firm move for his services.