He’s gone from a City flop to Turkish delight
BESIKTAS will try everything in their power to secure a permanent move for Leicester City flop Rachid Ghezzal after a string of stunning performances.
After arriving from Lyon in 2018, Ghezzal has struggled to make an impact at the King Power Stadium, which has led to several loan moves in a bid to get much-needed firstteam football.
Following a move to Fiorentina, which did not work out, he returned to the Foxes before subsequently joining Besiktas, where he has become a huge hit.
He has registered 13 assists during his time in Turkey and has also bagged one goal.
The Algerian winger now looks likely to be the subject of a permanent deal this summer.
French media outlet Foot Mercato said Besiktas “will do everything to keep him at the end of the season” with the chances of him forcing his way into Brendan Rodgers’ firstteam plans looking extremely unlikely.
But his form has alerted Galatasaray, Fenerbache and other Turkish clubs amid suggestions they “could come knocking at the door”.
Leicester would undoubtedly welcome a bidding war for the player, having not given Besiktas an obligation to buy Ghezzal once his loan spell ends.
Given his current form, his price is sure to have risen as the winger
DEAL FOR WINGER GHEZZAL
enters the final year of his contract. It will not be record sums that Leicester will be able to command, but it shows the benefit of sending players not involved in the first-team squad out on loan.
The news comes little over a month after it was claimed Leicester want to recoup some of the £12 million they paid for Ghezzal.
The 28-year-old winger, who joined the Foxes in 2018 from Monaco as a direct replacement for
Riyad Mahrez, never truly established himself at City, finishing with 23 appearances and three goals to his name.
It was made clear to the Algerian international, who spent last term on loan at Fiorentina, that there was no place for him in Rodgers’ plans when he moved to Besiktas on a season-long deal in the autumn transfer window.
He followed several other outcasts through the exit door, with Bartosz
Kapustka (Legia Warsaw), Fousseni Diabate (Trabzonspor), and Adrien Silva (Sampdoria) also departing on permanent deals earlier in the window, helping the club to save money on their wage bill.
Last year, Ghezzal played 21 games on loan at Fiorentina, netting once in a largely disappointing spell in Italy.
Besiktas are certainly keen to secure his services on a permanent basis but according to reports in Turkey, Leicester’s price tag might put them off a deal.
“It is very difficult to get all the rights of Rachid Ghezzal because the price they want is around 7-8 million euros,” said Yilmiz Chanpolat, an advisor to Besiktas president Ahmet Nur Cebi who is quoted by Milliyet. com.
Those figures equate to between £6-7 million, with the Foxes reported to be looking for around half of their money back on their investment in the player.
Meanwhile, City are closing in on a £15 million deal for Celtic’s 23-year-old striker Odsonne Edouard, reports the Daily Mail.
The French U21 international has scored 16 goals in 26 Scottish Premiership appearances this season.
The fact that Edouard has just one year remaining on his contract, along with a large sell-on fee, has caused the price to be reduced.
Edouard has reportedly indicated he wants a reunion with his ex-manager Brendan Rodgers at the King Power Stadium, although Arsenal, Aston Villa and Liverpool are also said to be interested in the forward.