The Dutch centre-back, whose Villa deal expires at the end of this month, is also said to be interesting Manchester United, Napoli and Southampton.
After suggesting that he can “go a step higher” than Aston Villa, soon-to-be free agent Ron Vlaar is now reported to be in talks with Turkish giants Besiktas over a summer move.
According to HaberTurk, Vlaar’s representatives are in ongoing discussions with Besiktas officials ahead of his Villa deal expiring at the end of the month but the likes of Manchester United, Napoli and Southampton remain possible destinations.
The news comes after the in-demand centre-back angered the claret and blue faithful with comments he made regarding his future ahead of the Netherlands’ Euro 2016 qualifier against Latvia, when he declared his belief that he could succeed at a bigger club.
Speaking to Voetbal International, he said: “I have in consideration [a new deal], I think about it. I want to maximize my career and think I can go a step higher. I will look at it [before deciding].”
Villa themselves have confirmed that Vlaar, 30, has been offered fresh terms, although the prospect of losing him might not be as daunting as it appeared last summer, when the Dutchman was coming off an impressive World Cup campaign with Louis van Gaal’s Netherlands side.
| 2014-15 Premier League | Position | Team | Errors Lead To Goal | Total Tackles GAME | Tackles Accuracy | Total Clearances GAME | Headers Won GAME | Aerial Duel Success | Interceptions GAME | Passing Accuracy | Appearances | Mins Played |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Jores Okore | DF | Aston Villa | 0 | 2.22 | 75% | 6.48 | 2.09 | 56.47% | 2.83 | 86% | 23 | 2,009 |
| Ciaran Clark | DF | Aston Villa | 0 | 1.56 | 87% | 8 | 3.04 | 64.96% | 1.88 | 79% | 25 | 1,991 |
| Nathan Baker | DF | Aston Villa | 0 | 1.27 | 71% | 9.27 | 3.36 | 58.73% | 1.64 | 77% | 11 | 763 |
| Philippe Senderos | DF | Aston Villa | 0 | 0.88 | 43% | 6 | 0.75 | 46.15% | 1.13 | 82% | 8 | 632 |
| Ron Vlaar | DF | Aston Villa | 1 | 0.85 | 65% | 5.75 | 1.2 | 52.17% | 2.05 | 82% | 20 | 1,646 |
Having been linked with a reunion with his compatriot at Old Trafford in the months following the tournament, the 31-times capped defender would go on to see calf and knee injuries restrict him to just 23 total appearances over the course of the 2014-15 campaign, as well as endure criticism for a handful of less-than-stellar performances.
Even losing the captain’s armband to Fabian Delph following Tim Sherwood’s appointment as manager, the likes of Nathan Baker, Ciaran Clark and Jores Okore all performed well in his absence and, with fit-again Philippe Senderos also exceeding expectations earlier in the season, there are grounds to suggest that the former skipper might be as missed as much as some fear.
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