Monday, 7th April, 2014
Hamburg's Hakan Calhanoglu, dubbed the "new Mesut Ozil" in some quarters, might recently have signed a new contract with the German giants, but Chelsea, Liverpool, Manchester United, Juventus, Atletico Madrid and Roma were all watching him in action on Friday evening.
Europe's elite queued up to take in Calhanoglu's performance against Bayer Leverkusen, amid chatter that if the northern German club are relegated from the Bundesliga this season then the attacking midfielder will look for the exit door in the summer.
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Calhanoglu did not disappoint his suitors, scoring the opening goal in a 2-1 win, which resulted in Sami Hyypia quickly being sacked as Leverkusen coach.
Despite the three points, Hamburg still sit in the relegation playoff place in the Bundesliga and are in the thick of the battle to avoid the drop.
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If the club drop into the 2. Bundesliga, the starting gun on a transfer scramble may be fired.
However, the 20-year-old's agent has been quick to wave away speculation, insisting his client remains committed to Hamburg for now.
"For now, he remains at HSV", Bektas Demirtas told the Hamburger Morgenpost.
"Hakan wants to celebrate success at Hamburg over the next few years.
"He did not renew his contract for nothing."
Calhanoglu's new contract at Hamburg runs until the summer of 2018. However, should the club be relegated, keeping hold of the up and coming talent is set to be an even bigger battle than a looming 2. Bundesliga promotion-seeking campaign.
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