Besiktas are demanding even more money for Champions League hero Cenk Tosun – meaning Newcastle United’s resources will be stretched.
Besiktas were willing to let Cenk Tosun go for just £12 million in the summer transfer window, per The Mail. Two months on, however, the reigning Turkish champions now appear to have totally changed their approach with interest ramping up in the red-hot striker.
Tosun is in increasingly high demand after some high-profile performances both for Turkey in the World Cup qualifiers and Besiktas in their stunning Champions League group-stage campaign. And the Istanbul side’s owner, Fikret Orman, is now ready to play hardball in the January transfer window for his prized asset.
“There’s no figure for him. These players are like my children – I have an interest in their careers. They aren’t machines,” Orman said in quotes reported by The Chronicle.
“(Kylian) Mbappe went to Paris Saint-Germain for €180m, (Naby) Keita for €70 or €80m, so placing a higher value than €20m on Tosun is not crazy. If Mbappe had played for Besiktas, would PSG have paid that amount? We need to raise the brand value of Turkish football.”
CNN Turk reported on Sunday that Newcastle were prepared to make a club-record £18 million bid for Tosun in the New Year. With Besiktas seemingly set to raise their asking price again, however, Newcastle manager Rafael Benitez may be counting down the days until owner Mike Ashley finally sells up.
Make or break
The Sports Direct don admitted that he is struggling to keep up with the ever-inflating spending taking place in the Premier League.
And Ashley is now hoping to sell the club before Christmas – raising hope that Newcastle will have new owners in place, and an unprecedented transfer warchest, before the January window.
It appears that The Magpies’ hopes of bringing the increasingly expensive Tosun to Tyneside rests on whether Ashley can sell up in the final two months of 2017.
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