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EPL giants Arsenal are closing in on a deal for Turkish youngster Orkun Kokcu, reports suggest.
It is being reported in the Turkish media that Kokcu is seen as a viable replacement for attacking midfielder Mesut Ozil. Ozil's contract with the EPL club expires next summer.
With his dwindling form and the fact that he is on £350,000 per week, there remains little chance that Arsenal will want to extend his contract.
EPL clubs maintain their interest in Kokcu
It is not just Arsenal, though. Fellow EPL club Chelsea have also been linked with a move for Kokcu.
The 19-year old Kokcu is currently playing for Feyenoord in the Eredivisie. Operating mainly as a central midfielder, Kokcu has made 27 appearances for the club in all competitions. He has scored twice and assisted six times during the course of the season.
And it is easy to see why he is being compared with Ozil. At such a young age, Kokcu has good creative numbers in the Dutch league. He makes 1.4 key passes per game, which goes up to 2.2 in the Europa League.
The decline of Ozil, on the other hand, is clear to see. The German midfielder, who averaged 4.2 key passes during the 2015/16 season for the EPL giants, is now averaging 2.1 this season. According to WhoScored, this has been Ozil's worst EPL season in his Arsenal career. It doesn't help that he is the highest earner in the entire squad.
Arsenal are in severe need of reinforcements. Apart from their rumoured £23 million move for Kokcu, it is clear that they need to sell before they can buy. It has been widely reported that they will not be against selling one of their star strikers, in order to invest in the squad.
So far, it seems more likely that captain Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang might be the one to leave. The Gabonese has one year left in his contract. Barcelona, Chelsea and Manchester United have all been linked with him. It makes sense for the Gunners to move him on, unless they want to let him go on a free.
While the EPL side announced the signing of young centre back William Saliba last season, it seems they might be on the market for another one. RB Leipzig's Dayot Upamecano has been heavily linked.
But the one player who seems to want to move to the Emirates is Atletico Madrid midfielder Thomas Partey. Willian has also been considered as a cheap option to boost the forward line.
It will be interesting to see who Arsenal let go of. Ozil looks set to stay and fulfil his contract. Apart from that, Hector Bellerin has been linked with a move to Paris Saint Germain. Calum Chambers, Rob Holding, and Sead Kolasinac have all seen their playing time reduced.
It is clear that Mikel Arteta needs to have a precise plan with which to proceed. Arsenal have a good squad to build on, but a few additions could improve the EPL giants massively.
