German Bundesliga side Bayer Leverkusen is ready to sell Hakan Calhanoglu before the summer transfer window closes and two English Premier League giants, Arsenal and Manchester United, are said to be interested in acquiring the Turkish attacking midfielder.
However, according to Bayer CEO Michael Schade, the 22-year-old Turkey international can only leave the BayArena if the interested team pays no less than £29 million, something that the Gunners and Red Devils can easily afford.
The Daily Express indicated that Calhanoglu, who has been likened to Arsenal midfielder Mesut Özil, has also attracted the interest of La Liga clubs FC Barcelona and Atletico Madrid, but the Leverkusen residents are keen on keeping him if his release clause will not be met.
"We want to keep Hakan, but with us there is a pain threshold," Schade said.
The chief executive then admitted that he knows about the interest of some of the world's biggest clubs to buy Calhanoglu, but he assured that the club will not make hasty decisions.
"I see that," he said, "and I am calm and relaxed."
Meanwhile, Caught Offside noted that the 5-foot-10 German-born Turk "has three years remaining on his contract with Leverkusen" when he was signed by Bayer from fellow Bundesliga side Hamburg for £12 million in the summer of 2014.
In two years in North Rhine-Westphalia, Calhanoglu had appeared in a total of 93 games in all competitions, scoring 21 goals and providing 20 assists as a quality playmaker.
Last season, he helped the club finish third in the German top flight competitions, scoring three goals and passing five times in 31 appearances. He was also a key piece of head coach Roger Schmidt's squad that competed in the Champions League last term as he scored twice and gave five assists.
It was also noted that Calhanoglu is the first ever Turkish footballer who was able to score against the England national team in a friendly when he did so in Turkey's 1-2 loss to The Three Lions in late May. Turkey would have actually settled for the 1-1 draw if not for the late goal of Leicester City striker Jamie Vardy.
