'Turkish Messi' linked with Premier League transfer after praise from Ozil and Pirlo

The 18-year-old is already being dubbed the 'Turkish Lionel Messi', by local media, drawing comparisons with arguably the greatest player of all time.

Guler is available at a bargain price €17.5million (£15m) fee due a clause in his contract, having amassed 1500 minutes for Fenerbahce.

Given his rise to stardom, it is no secret a whole host of clubs are circling for him to sign on the dotted line.

Premier League side's Arsenal, Manchester City, Liverpool and Newcastle have all been credited with an interest.

There have also been reports linking him with clubs across the content, too, with Real Madrid, Barcelona, AC Milan, Bayern Munich and Paris Saint-Germain all running the rule.

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His journey started back in 2019, arriving at Fenerbahce from boyhood club Genclerbirligi as a 14-year-old, before his rise through the youth ranks.

Guler had been advised to join Ankara-based Genclerbirligi in the second year of primary school by his physical education teacher.

"Genclerbirligi's training facilities were very far from our home," Guler's father, Umit, previously told Goal.

"We took Arda there with his teacher's insistence, and he managed to show off his talents in the first training session. They put him in their team immediately!"

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When Fenerbahce came calling, Guler was in action at an Under-14s tournament in Riva, a small town outside the city of Istanbul, and he would make the switch to the Yellow Canaries.

"In December 2018, I went to Ankara to watch the Osmanlispor-Genclerbirligi U14s game," Serhat Pekmezci, the former youth coordinator at Fenerbache, explained to Haber Global.

"I was scouting another player. However, Arda caught my attention, as both his skills and character impressed me.

"Although he suffered a serious ankle injury in the last 15 minutes, he did not quit the game. They lost the match and he shed tears at the end of the match.

"He had very special potential. We told our sporting director at that time, Damien Comolli, about Arda with a special report. He was a talent not to be missed so we should sign him.

"Nearly 10 days later, after not receiving any response from the board, I prepared a video of Arda and forwarded it to our chairman, Ali Koc. He made contact with me after watching him.

"My first statement to him was, 'at the age of 15 or 16, he can be playing in the first team', and not only mentioned that he was a European-class talent, but I also talked about his quality off the pitch."

While Guler has been dubbed the Turkish Messi, many fans believe he is of a similar mould to Mesut Ozil.

Just like the former Arsenal star he has a majestic left foot, complete with exceptional vision and passing ability for his age.

And the reason behind his cultured wand were outlined by his father.

Umit told Goal: "We did not have any left-footers in our family.

"I put balloons and footballs in front of his left foot so he would use it more."

And Ozil himself, who has played with Guler at Fenerbahce, believes he has the potential to become 'a world star'.

Former Fatih Karagumruk boss Pirlo has even praised the youngster in the past, telling Hurriyet.: "Guler is a very talented player."

"He has the potential to play anywhere in the world. He has quality, he can read the game well, and he has great technique. If he keeps developing his game, there is no limit to his potential."

The youngster made his Fenerbahce first team debut in 2021/22 against HJK Helsinki in Europa League qualifying.

And he became the Turkish giants' youngest ever goalscorer against Alanyaspor volleying home in March 2022.

Guler has racked up 51 appearances over the past two seasons, scoring nine goals and adding 12 assists in all competitions and there is still plenty of room for development.

He's even broken into the national team and recently netted a brilliant individual goal for Turkey against Wales earlier this month during their 2-0 victory.

And it it appears the potential Golden Boy winner is destined to leave his homeland, with huge offers set to come in.

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"I don't think Arda will stay in Turkey too long," Erol Tokgozler, Guler's former coach at Genclerbirligi, told CNN Turk. "I know that there are offers from Arsenal and Bayern Munich.

"With each passing match, the number of these teams will increase. [Bids of] €20-30m for Arda will become ordinary."