Turkish club Besiktas are looking at the possibility of signing Danny Welbeck from Arsenal this summer.
Arsenals have been tipped to sign a new striker, with Arsene Wenger reportedly keen on Karim Benzema from Real Madrid as well as Bayern Munich forward Robert Lewandowski.
Seeing that Welbeck came to Arsenal primarily to challenge Olivier Giroud for the centre-forward role, signing a marquee striker will scupper those chances for the England international; or so Besiktas want to think.
If Arsenal do sign a marquee name, Besiktas will make a move for Welbeck, according to the Metro who cite a report in Aksam. The transfer fee claimed in that report is between €10-15million (£7-10.5m), which is ridiculous considering Arsenal paid £16m for Welbeck to sign the 24-year-old from Manchester United last summer, and that was seen as a bargain.
As worrying as Welbeck's goalscoring record might be, what cannot be denied is the value the striker brings to any side, and the fact that he is versatile is another plus point.
Arsene Wenger loves players who can play in different positions, and Welbeck certainly comes under that list, with the former Manchester United man equally capable of playing down the middle or in a wide attacking position.
Even if Welbeck, who is nursing a knee injury at the moment, did not set the Emirates alight with a number of outstanding performances last season, the chances of Wenger sanctioning a sale of the forward is as good as the manager stepping down from his post at Arsenal before the start of this season.
Arsenal could yet buy a marquee striker before the summer transfer window closes, but that should not mean the end of the road for Welbeck, who will fit right in out wide in Wenger's fluid system, where any player can pop up anywhere at any time.
Welbeck also showed glimpses of his goalscoring prowess last season – especially in the Champions League game against Galatasaray where he scored a hat-trick – and there is nothing Wenger loves more than to convert a goal-shy forward into a goalscoring machine.
So, irrespective of who Arsenal sign in the rest of the transfer window, expect Welbeck to be at the Emirates when the buying and selling comes to an end on 1 September.
