Aston Villa, Everton, Southampton and West Ham will watch Besiktas in action against Lyon on Thursday evening.
Oguzhan Ozyakup (L) in action for Besiktas
According to a report from CNN Turk, Aston Villa, Everton, Southampton and West Ham will all be scouting Besiktas’ game with Lyon on Thursday, with midfielder Oguzhan Ozyakup mentioned as a target.
Whilst the focus in Europe is on the Champions League, with Barcelona taking on Juventus this evening and Borussia Dortmund travelling to face Monaco, the Europa League is also back on Thursday.
Besiktas were beaten 2-1 away at Lyon in the first leg of the Europa League quarter-final clash last Thursday, but now get to face the Ligue 1 side in Istanbul for a place in the semi-finals of the competition.
It now seems that the game is attracting some major interest, as CNN Turk report that four English clubs are sending scouts to the Vodafone Arena, and are believed to be interested in Besiktas midfielder Oguzhan Ozyakup.
The report states that Aston Villa, Everton, Southampton and West Ham scouts will all be watching Thursday’s game, with Ozyakup believed to be the centre of attention.
Ozyakup, 24, may be familiar to some fans having previously been on the books with Arsenal, but he joined Besiktas in 2012 in order to play more first-team football, and he has starred in Turkey.
Tottenham Hotspur’s Federico Fazio (L) and Besiktas’ Oguzhan Ozyakup in action
With 26 goals and 37 assists for Besiktas in 172 appearances, Ozyakup has become a star, earning 25 caps for Turkey – but now, he’s been eyed up for a summer move back to England.
West Ham make sense as a possible destination for Ozyakup, given that he worked under current Hammers boss Slaven Bilic at Besiktas, whilst Southampton could be looking to add another creative midfielder this summer.
Everton could be in the market for a playmaker should Ross Barkley leave the club this summer, but Villa appear to be a hugely unlikely destination, given that they will be in the Championship next season, and surely couldn’t afford Ozyakup’s fee anyway, with the Premier League clubs holding a major advantage.
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