LISBON, PORTUGAL - OCTOBER 02: Kerem Akturkoglu of S.L Benfica celebrates scoring his team's first goal during the UEFA Champions League 2024/25 League Phase MD2 match between SL Benfica and Atletico de Madrid at on October 02, 2024 in Lisbon, Portugal.

Yasin Oztekin believes €18m Benfica winger has the ability to play for Barcelona

Photo by Gualter Fatia/Getty Images

In the last summer transfer window, the left wing was one of the areas of their team that FC Barcelona wanted to reinforce with the highest priority. For this purpose, they were closely linked with the Athletic Club winger Nico Williams, but were ultimately unable to land the Spaniard for various reasons.

But the Catalans have still not given up on this task, and as they continue to look for potential targets for this position, they have been linked with players like Rafael Leao and Khvicha Kvaratskhelia, in addition to Nico Williams.

Meanwhile, there are several more players who dream of joining Barcelona and fulfilling this role, and as Diario AS has reported, one such player is the Benfica forward Muhammed Kerem Aktürkoğlu.

After joining the Portuguese side last season, the Turk is already looking to take the next step in his career, and aiming to play for FC Barcelona.

This was clear from the comments of another Turkish footballer, Yasin Öztekin, who is quite close to Aktürkoğlu. In a recent interview, Öztekin opened up on his friend’s career:

“I met with Kerem before the last matches of the Turkish national team. After his move to Benfica, I told him that it’s not easy to play in Turkey, but he could go to Benfica and then make the jump to another club. Now he’s doing very well there.”

“I think Yunus (Aktürkoğlu) can play for any team in Europe. He succeeds wherever he goes. I’m sure Kerem will go to a much bigger club than Benfica. My feeling is that he will join Barcelona this year, and he has the ability to play for that team.”

“Currently, he’s scoring goals and providing assists in every game for Benfica. They say he’ll make a transfer in a year. I hope to see him at Barcelona soon.”

The Turk has scored 8 goals and provided 4 assists in his 11 appearances with Benfica up to now. He particularly excels in finishing and his short bursts of speed also allow him to reach the opponent’s goal frequently.

These characteristics make him a highly suitable player for Barcelona, but getting him will not really be easy for the Blaugranes as he has a €100 million release clause.

Tags Muhammed Kerem Aktürkoğlu Yasin Öztekin