Kerem Aktürkoğlu stole the spotlight on the second day of the UEFA Nations League group stage as he scored a hat-trick for Turkiye's national team against Iceland yesterday.
A personal show from the 1998-born left-winger during Turkey-Iceland, who is experiencing a blazing start to the season between goals (2 goals and 3 assists in 6 matches with Galatasaray before switching teams) and the transfer market. On September 3rd, he left his homeland for a new adventure in Portugal, a move he had only brushed up against in previous years and one that could have brought him to Italy.
At the Gürsel Aksel Stadium in Izmir, all eyes of fans and professionals are glued to Aktürkoğlu, the absolute star of the evening. Three goals, though it could have been four. In the first half, he scored from inside the box, started the second half with a splendid shot from outside, and shortly after added the third with a run into the penalty area, but VAR disallowed it for offside. The appointment with the hat-trick was only delayed to the final minutes of the game: Güler played a through ball, Aktürkoğlu thanked him and with a delicate chip sealed the 3-1 win for Turkey, took the match ball home, and received an ovation from the fans.
Aktürkoğlu was considered by Fiorentina and Milan in the past
To think that in the two previous summers (2022 and 2023) and even last January, there had been the possibility of seeing Aktürkoğlu in Italy, in Serie A. Two clubs, in particular, had some contact with the 25-year-old winger of Benfica: Fiorentina, who were looking for new offensive wingers for then-coach Vincenzo Italiano, and Milan, where Rafael Leao's presence slowed down investments on the left wing, which was eventually completed last summer with the arrival of Noah Okafor.
For both clubs, it could have been a deal worth around 15 million euros, slightly more than what Aktürkoğlu just cost Benfica a few days ago when he arrived from Galatasaray for around 12 million euros, but neither Fiorentina nor Milan pursued the matter further, as relayed via Calciomercato.com.
