Arda Kurtalan will wait for a Turkey call and will not play for North Macedonia
Göztepe right back who played for North Macedonia U19 and U21 did not respond to a January call from the Football Federation and is said to be waiting for Turkey.
Arda Kurtalan has chosen to wait for a call from Turkey and does not intend to play for North Macedonia’s senior team, according to the latest reports from Turkey. The 23-year-old right back is currently on the books at Göztepe and has been linked with a senior international switch.
Background and federation approach
Kurtalan represented North Macedonia at under-19 and under-21 level but never made an appearance for the A national team. The Football Federation of North Macedonia contacted him in January in an effort to secure his allegiance, but he did not respond to that call.
Those developments close the door for North Macedonia at least for now: Turkish media say Kurtalan will wait for a call from Turkey rather than accept an approach from the North Macedonian side.
In January his market value was listed at €2.5 million; now, ten months later, that figure has climbed to €8 million. Had he accepted the North Macedonia invitation, he would have become the national team’s second-most valuable player.
The decision reduces immediate options at right back for North Macedonia’s coaching staff and increases the chance that Kurtalan will feature for Turkey if and when they summon him to their squad.
For Göztepe, the rise in Kurtalan’s value underlines his progress this season and explains why both national teams are monitoring his situation closely.
Photo: press material from the event
