In the battle between two Premier League striker targets, it’s fair to say Cyle Larin got the better of Aaron Boupendza this weekend.
While Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang’s fellow Gabon international drew a blank for the third game running in Hatayspor’s Super Lig clash with Besiktas, Larin certainly brought his shooting boots to the party.
The classy Canadian had not scored a hat-trick at club level since August 2018.
But, inside 54 minutes at the Vodafone Arena, he went one better than that – hitting the net four times in a crushing 7-0 win which put Besiktas on the verge of the Turkish league title.
In all competitions, Larin has now scored 24 goals for club and country this season.
Besiktas supporters, then, should enjoy the one-time Orlando City star while they can.
Because, with Larin’s contract expiring in 2022, the Istanbul giants look certain to cash in on their talismanic number nine while his market value remains strong (FotoMac).
Sabah reports that West Ham United are likely to make a bid for Larin when the summer window opens, having failed with a £9 million offer in January.
Carlo Ancelotti’s Everton are also interested (Fanatik in February), and could offer Cenk Tosun to his former employers as part of what could be a player-plus-cash swap deal.
Wherever Larin ends up, that bold prediction made by his one-time Orlando teammate Kaka back in 2017 is looking more inspired by the day.
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