President tells Arsenal and Liverpool to forget about signing his £25m player this summer

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Arsenal and Liverpool have now been handed a transfer blow after one club President spoke to the media.

Both Mikel Arteta and Arne Slot have significant summers ahead, as the latter aims to continue Jurgen Klopp‘s excellent work at Anfield, while the Spaniard attempts to bridge the gap on Manchester City.

So, what blow have Liverpool and Arsenal now experienced? Let’s take a look…

Ibrahim Hatipoglu says Baris Alper Yilmaz is not for sale

Ibrahim Hatipoglu – President of Galatasaray – has now told Arsenal and Liverpool that Baris Alper Yilmaz is going nowhere this summer.

The 55-year-old is quoted by CNN Turk as saying: “Baris Alper Yilmaz is not for sale. There are offers for many players, including Baris. We reject some without thinking. Baris is one of them. Baris is not for sale.”

It comes after Milliyet in Turkey claimed that Liverpool have been working on a £25m deal behind the scenes, following the Turkey international’s impressive display at UEFA Euro 2024 up against Virgil van Dijk.

Sedat Tahiroglu – President of Keciorengucu – recently confirmed Liverpool’s interest, as well as Arsenal, when speaking about Yilmaz and the fact his side have a 20% sell-on clause.

The 47-year-old told Aksam: “We have 20% of Baris Alper Yilmaz’s share, but we have not received a request from Galatasaray to meet with us on this issue. I hear that Liverpool want him, Arsenal want him.”

Liverpool and Arsenal would be wise to wait anyway

In our view, Arteta and Slot shouldn’t be too upset by Hatipoglu’s firm hands off warning.

It can often resemble a risk to sign a player based on his displays at a major tournament, where motivation levels are obviously very high, and can be tough to replicate back in club football.

Liverpool will know that all too well after signing El Hadji Diouf off the back of his impressive displays for Senegal at the 2002 World Cup, where he provided three assists in five games to reach the quarter-final, only to end up scoring six goals in 80 appearances for the Reds.

READ MORE: What pundits have said about Gareth Southgate’s England future after Euro 2024 final defeat

Therefore, Arsenal and Liverpool would be wise to wait and see how Yilmaz performs in the 2024/25 campaign for Galatasaray, before spending millions to secure his signature.