Everton are keeping tabs on Besiktas midfielder Oguzhan Özyakup in an effort to turn their Premier League fortunes around. According to recent reports, the Toffees are eyeing up a summer swoop for the Turkish midfield enforcer. It is believed that the Blues of Merseyside are monitoring his progress after he put in a series of standout performances for the current Turkish champions during the course of this season.
The 25-year-old has previously been touted to make a switch to the Premier League with Arsenal often being considered as his most likely destination. However, it now looks like he is set to make a move to Merseyside to join the Toffees. Some sources have recently claimed that the Merseyside club are currently holding talks with Besiktas over the potential transfer of the Turkish talent in the off-season.
Ozyakup has struggled to feature regularly for Besiktas this season and is currently looking for a move out of Turkey in search of greener pastures. The Zaandam-born midfielder has featured in 32 matches for Besiktas this season, making 7 assists in all competitions. It is understood that Ozyakup is desperate to part ways with the Turkish giants this summer as he wants to get more game time under his belt.
Oğuzhan Özyakup joined Besiktas from Arsenal in the summer of 2012 and since then, he has gone on to make 214 appearances for the Turkish club and has scored 27 goals while providing 49 assists in the process. The 26-year-old has also managed to win two successive SuperLig titles with Besiktas in the last two campaigns.
The Merseysiders are currently in the 9th position in the Premier League rankings with a tally of 40 points after Gameweek 32. They still have a small chance of earning a top 7 finish in the league at the end of this campaign but are still six points away from 7th placed Burnley going into the business of the campaign.
The addition of Ozyakup will undoubtedly bolster Sam Allardyce’s midfield options ahead of the new season. Everton have the likes of Tom Davies, Idrissa Gueye, Davy Klaassen, Gylfi Sigurðsson and Morgan Schneiderlin vying for a place in the Toffees’ starting eleven. The potential signing of Ozyakup will definitely add more competition for places in their squad as they look to improve on their league performance in the coming seasons. It remains to be seen what lies ahead in the future of Ozyakup and whether he ends up making a switch to Goodison Park in the near future.
