Premier League giants Spurs and Liverpool reportedly want Trabzonspor’s Ugurcan Cakir with Jose Mourinho and Jurgen Klopp eyeing a new goalkeeper.
Ricardo Quaresma has labelled Ugurcan Cakir one of the standout talents in the Turkish Super Lig, speaking to DHA after speculation linking the Trabzonspor goalkeeper with Liverpool and Tottenham Hotspur.
A 24-year-old international might not be a household name on English shores but that could soon change. Ask anyone with a knowledge of Turkish football and they will tell you that Cakir is a truly elite shot-stopper in the making, one that appears to be on the verge of a big-money summer move for that matter.
Karadeniz Gazete claims that Jose Mourinho’s Spurs have made an initial £18 million offer for a man who could potentially be Hugo Lloris’ long-term replacement in North London.
Liverpool have been heavily linked too and Cakir’s Turkey team-mate Sinan Bolat let the cat out of the bag somewhat when he suggested to Ajansspor that the youngster was Anfield-bound.
Lee Congerton, Leicester City’s head of recruitment, also told the Turkish press that Liverpool had made a £25 million offer for Cakir during a scouting mission in Trabzon.
And Portugal international Quaresma is well placed to pass judgement, given that the Kasimpasa star has shared a dressing room with some of the most gifted footballers of the modern era.
“I can say actors such as Abdülkadi Omur, Ugurcan Cakir and Irfan Can,” the former Chelsea, Inter Milan and Barcelona winger says when choosing his top three Super Lig talents.
“I think Turkish players are very talented and they are born with this ability and quality.”
The chances are that, if Cakir does move to Tottenham or Liverpool, he will have to bide his time initially. Lloris still has a few years left at the top level while, at Anfield, Alisson Becker is rapidly establishing himself as arguably the best in the game right now.
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