One player currently shining at Euro 2024 has been told by a manager in his homeland that he could ‘easily’ play for a club of Liverpool’s stature.
Turkiye secured their place in the round of 16 on Tuesday night with a spicy 2-1 win over Czechia, with Barıs Alper Yılmaz impressing for Vincenzo Montella’s side.
Gaziantep boss Selcuk Inan was speaking to Nutspor about the Galatasaray forward, who’s reportedly been scouted recently by Manchester United and Tottenham.
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The 35-year-old said (via Milligazete): “I think Baris Alper Yılmaz can play very comfortably for many teams in the Premier League at the moment. He’s a very special player. We worked a lot together.
“If Barıs Alper improves himself with his final ball, he can easily play for the best clubs in the world such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool and Arsenal. He’s a player with a lot of potential. Hopefully he will get that chance and represent them.”
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Yilmaz has been ever-present for his nation so far at Euro 2024 and had an especially good game against Czechia, winning 10 of his 13 duels, completing 89% of his passes and four dribbles, landing two shots on target and playing two key passes (Sofascore).
He provided an assist in Galatasaray’s win away to Manchester United in the Champions League last October, amassing seven goals and 12 assists in 55 games for his club during the most recent campaign (Transfermarkt).
The 24-year-old excels when running with the ball, ranking among the top 3% of forwards at Euro 2024 so far for progressive carries (12) and progressive carries (nine), and the top 15% for successful take-ons (five), via FBref.
There aren’t any active transfer links between Liverpool and Yilmaz at the moment, with the Reds instead believed to be looking at his compatriot Arda Guler, although he might find his way into Richard Hughes’ thinking if he continues to shine for his national team on the European stage over the coming fortnight.
Perhaps he’s one to watch closely when Turkiye face Austria in their round of 16 clash next Tuesday night?
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