Newcastle United target Cenk Tosun could be on the move in 2018.
Besiktas president Fikret Orman has told Turkish TV station TRT Spor – as quoted by Turkish Football – that the club are open to selling striker Cenk Tosun in January.
Tosun, 26, emerged with Gaziantepspor, and after hitting 44 goals in 122 games for the Turkish side, he moved on to Besiktas in 2014, where he has become a hero.
The Turkish international smashed 41 goals in all competitions in his last two seasons before entering this season, and he has added to that with 10 goals in 16 games for Besiktas this term.
With eight goals in 24 Turkey caps, Tosun has become a prolific goalscorer in recent years, and his exploits are unsurprisingly attracting major interest.
The Daily Star recently reported that Tosun is Rafael Benitez’s top target for the January transfer window, with Newcastle desperate for goals.
The Magpies have hit just 11 goals in 12 Premier League games this season – just five teams have scored fewer – and they need a proven goalscorer like Tosun to arrive in January to boost their attack.
Now, Newcastle’s hopes of securing a deal have been boosted, Besiktas president Fikret Orman has told Turkish TV station TRT Spor – as quoted by Turkish Football – that whilst he thinks Tosun is a ‘diamond’, Besiktas are open to selling for the right price, though no bid has been submitted yet.
“Cenk Tosun is like a diamond, a part of our family,” said Orman. “If the conditions are right for Besiktas and the player, we will speak as of that day… There is no official offer to me at the moment,” he added.
With Haberturk reporting that it would take £20million to sign Tosun, Newcastle may need their takeover to go through in order to afford the striker – but the path has seemingly been cleared for the Magpies to swoop for a potential club-record signing, with Orman open to doing business in January.
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