Leicester City plan to sell Rachid Ghezzal for £6 million and have turned down an initial offer from Besiktas for the Premier League’s forgotten man, as reported by Sabah.
When Riyad Mahrez forced through his move to Manchester City in the summer of 2018, the Foxes wasted no time in replacing a left-footed right-winger from Algeria with, well, a left-footed right-winger from Algeria.
But it is safe to say Ghezzal did not come close to emulating Mahrez’s impact at the King Power.
The former Lyon ace has started just eight Premier League games – and none since 2018/19.
An impressive loan spell at Besiktas, at least, ensures that Leicester will be able to command a sizeable transfer fee for a player who joined the club in the same summer as Jonny Evans and James Maddison.
Sabah reports that Leicester want £6 million. Besiktas have offered just £4.3 million so far, however, and risk missing out unless they improve their initial bid.
Interestingly, Ghezzal has now taken things into his own hands.
He has told Leicester that he is desperate to stay at Besiktas, imploring his parent club to accept a cut-price fee and green light his full-time switch to the Turkish Super Lig giants.
With 15 assists in all competitions, Ghezzal has been a huge hit in Istanbul.
Sitting three points clear at the top of the table with just a handful of games remaining, the 28-year-old could still end the season as a Turkish league champion.
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