Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp are reportedly fans of Trabzonspor goalkeeper Ugurcan Cakir; will he join Premier League giants Spurs or Liverpool?
Ugurcan Cakir is one of the ‘top five goalkeepers in the world’, Trabzonspor vice-president Ertugrul Dogan has told Fotomac after the Super Lig leaders reportedly rejected a bid from Tottenham Hotspur.
While it’s fair to say a 24-year-old shot-stopper is not a household name in England, that could soon change.
Cakir’s star is rising fast and it is largely thanks to him, not to mention the prolific Crystal Palace loanee Alexander Sorloth, that Trabzonspor are dreaming of a first Super Lig title since 1984.
According to Fanatik, Tottenham have had an initial £18 million offer rejected for a Turkish international who could potentially replace the ageing Hugo Lloris in North London. A new £24 million bid, however, is apparently under consideration.
Liverpool have been linked for a number of months too. And if Alisson Becker is the best on the planet right now, then Cakir is not far behind – at least according to Dogan.
“Our players are very valuable players. Ugurcan Çakır is one of the world’s top five goalkeepers,” Dogan says.
“(But) we do not have any idea about the departure of anybody at the moment.”
Leicester City’s head of recruitment Lee Congerton embarked on a scouting mission to watch Trabzonspor recently. And he appeared to let the cat out of the bag somewhat when he suggested that Liverpool had already made an offer for a goalkeeper who appears to have a one-way ticket to the top.
“One of the best goalkeepers I have seen in my life,” quipped a clearly impressed Congerton, in quotes reported by Karadeniz Gazete. “I was wondering who the goalkeeper was that Liverpool offered £22 million for.”
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