Juventus Rejects Arsenal's Interest in Kenan Yildiz

Luciano Spalletti has drawn a thick red line through Kenan Yildiz’s name on the transfer rumour mill – and not in the way Arsenal were hoping.

Speaking to the media, the Juventus manager made it clear that, whatever arrives in the inbox over the next days, his stance on the 21-year-old winger will not shift.

"I am perfectly relaxed, because dealing with Yildiz is easy for me," Spalletti said. "They can offer whatever they like, I want Yildiz here and will always put him on the field.

"His future is already important, staying at Juventus, not because there are other clubs who want to spend €100m for him."

Those comments echo reporting from David Ornstein for NBC Sports ahead of Arsenal’s Premier League opener, which underlined Juventus’ determination to keep hold of one of their most exciting young talents despite firm interest from north London.

The Gunners have been circling for some time. Journalist Sacha Tavolieri recently described Yildiz as a “dream” signing for Mikel Arteta this summer, adding that Arsenal had decided to move for the Turkey international and that Arteta has been pushing the pursuit for a while. The club are said to be ready to go all-in to land him.

Juventus, though, keep slamming the door.

General manager Damien Comolli has been just as blunt as his head coach, labelling Yildiz “untouchable” and “at the centre of our project”. He confirmed Arsenal’s interest but insisted the Serie A side would not sell “even if they offered €100m”.

Arsenal, for now, wait in the shadows. James McNicholas reported for The Athletic that the club are monitoring whether the market might unexpectedly open a path to either Yildiz or Julian Alvarez of Atletico Madrid before the deadline.

Juventus’ message suggests that door will stay locked. With Spalletti and Comolli aligned and unyielding, Arsenal may have to decide whether to keep chasing a winger deemed priceless in Turin, or turn their firepower elsewhere as the window ticks towards its final days.