Cihan Aktas, the president of Bursaspor, says that Arsenal was in the running to sign Oguz Aydin before he joined Fenerbahce over the weekend.

While the winger did move from Alanyaspor to Fenerbahce, Aktas says he knew that Arsenal were interested in his former player because Bursaspor was due a share of the deal due to a sell-on clause:

“Oguz is a player who gains wins games by appearing out of the blue.” Arsenal and two teams in Italy were all interested in him.

Galatasaray also wanted him, but when Fenerbahçe president Ali Koc stepped in, he changed his mind and became a fan of the team.

Why did Arsenal want to sign the winger?

The 23-year-old stood out while playing for Alanyaspor and scored 13 goals in the Turkish Super Lig last year. He also got his first international cap, which he wore in Turkey’s 0-0 draw with Italy at the beginning of last month.

Since Oguz is right-footed and can play on either side, Arsenal would have been able to get the kind of forward they were looking for this summer.

Are the club looking at any possible players besides Oguz?

It was clear that the Turkish international was being considered as a cheap choice. Actually, Fenerbahce only had to pay €6m to get him. In the same group, the Gunners are said to be interested in Real Sociedad winger Ander Barrenetxea.

However, Nico Williams of Athletic Bilbao seems to be Mikel Arteta’s top choice, but there are many things that could stop a deal from going through.

The club might not be able to afford to make the move. Williams can leave Bilbao for €58m (£49m), and the club will want to get that money up front. The 21-year-old would also want a good pay.

But Barcelona is probably the biggest problem. At the moment, the La Liga team is seen as the favorite to sign the player.