Rachid Ghezzal’s father insists that the winger will stay at Besiktas next season with Leicester City looking to recoup £5 million for the Premier League’s forgotten man, as reported by the Express.
Three years after the Foxes earned a staggering £59.6 million profit on the back of Riyad Mahrez’s record-breaking move to Manchester City, it is fair to assume another Algerian attacker is unlikely to provide such a boost to the club’s coffers.
Leicester paid £10 million to bring in Ghezzal from Monaco in the summer of 2018.
But if Leicester had hoped that the former Lyon youngster could emulate the achievements of his PFA Award-winning compatriot in English football, they were very much mistaken.
Ghezzal has made just eight Premier League starts in three years – the most recent in March 2019.
Has Rachid Ghezzal played his last game for Leicester City?
At the age of 29, Ghezzal has been a man reborn over in Turkey, however, outshining the likes of Mesut Ozil on the banks of the Bosphorus while winning a league and club double during a superb loan spell with Besiktas.
In 31 league games, Ghezzal contributes eight goals and 17 assists.
No wonder Besiktas are desperate to keep him at the Vodafone Arena.
“My son is very happy at Besiktas. They will compete in the Champions League this season. Ghezzal will 100 per cent continue his career at Besiktas,” his father told Fanatik.
“We expect the transfer to be completed soon.
“After my son’s performances this season, not only Besiktas but also Galatasaray made an offer to us.”
According to the Express, Leicester would probably accept around £5 million for Ghezzal, meaning they are destined to make a 50 per cent loss on a player who arrived during the rather ill-fated Claude Puel era.
Given that he is out of contract in 2022, however, £5 million is still better than nothing.
Receive exclusive football transfer news and updates twice a week to your mailbox
