Chelsea and Liverpool are reportedly ready to go head-to-head for the services of Inter Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu.
The 29-year-old crossed the San Siro divide by leaving AC Milan for the Nerazzurri in the summer of 2021, and he has become a fundamental player for the latter over the past couple of years.
Calhanoglu boasts 20 goals and 23 assists from 114 outings in an Inter Milan jersey and has started the 2023-24 season in exceptional form, netting eight goals and setting up two more in 19 games.
The Turkey international has found the back of the net in four of his last five Serie A appearances for the Champions League runners-up, who are two points clear of Juventus at the top of the rankings after 15 matchdays.
Calhanoglu has started all 15 of those contests for Inter at the base of the midfield, and the former Bayer Leverkusen man also has two Coppa Italia crowns and two Supercoppa Italiana titles under his belt from his time at Inter.
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Back in July, the midfielder penned a long-term contract extension with Simone Inzaghi's team until the summer of 2027, but his renewal has apparently not deterred potential suitors.
According to Tuttosport, both Chelsea and Liverpool are keen to prise Calhanoglu away from San Siro in the January transfer window, but the Turkish lynchpin is not looking to leave the club at this moment in time.
The Premier League duo would also be forced to pay Inter a premium for the erstwhile Rossoneri midfielder given that he is not due to become a free agent for another four years, but any January bids are expected to be rebuffed either way.
Liverpool and Chelsea engaged in fierce battles for midfield targets during the summer transfer window, where the Blues pipped the Reds to the signatures of both Moises Caicedo and Romeo Lavia.
However, Caicedo has struggled to impress since joining in a nine-figure deal from Brighton & Hove Albion, while Lavia is yet to make his debut for Mauricio Pochettino's side due to a troublesome ankle problem.
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Injuries to Carney Chukwuemeka and Lesley Ugochukwu have also left Pochettino short of options in midfield, but it has been claimed that Conor Gallagher could still be sold as a means of raising funds for January business.
Pochettino has called for improvements to be made to his ranks over the winter months amid their disappointing 12th-placed standing in the Premier League table, although a new striker is expected to take priority.
Meanwhile, Liverpool moved for all of Wataru Endo, Dominik Szoboszlai, Ryan Gravenberch and Alexis Mac Allister after missing out on Lavia, Caicedo and Real Madrid-bound Jude Bellingham, but Mac Allister is currently sidelined with a knee injury.
Stefan Bajcetic and Thiago Alcantara are long-term absentees with respective calf and hip injuries too, and the latter is also expected to head for the Anfield exit door when his contract expires at the end of the campaign.
Inter are thought to be interested in Thiago, but the Nerazzurri are expected to make their move when he becomes a free agent, and there is nothing to suggest that the Spaniard could be used in negotiations over a January deal for Calhanoglu.
Ben Knapton
