A leading figure from a European club has flown into England for discussions regarding a potential move for one Liverpool player.
According to Turkish outlet Fanatik, Besiktas sporting director Ceyhun Kazanci travelled to the UK for a meeting with Joel Matip’s representatives to discuss the possibility of a transfer to Istanbul.
The Merseyside club were contacted with an enquiry about the 31-year-old’s availability and his wage demands, with the Super Lig outfit seeking to bolster their defence ahead of the 2023/24 season.
This report comes off the back of a claim by Fabrizio Romano on the Debrief Podcast (via CaughtOffside) on Monday that Liverpool have had ‘conversations’ with Matip over a potential new deal at Anfield, with his current contract set to expire next June (Transfermarkt).
The Cameroonian appears to be a man in demand, with his present employers and Besiktas both seemingly interested in offering him terms.
The Turkish club may well be hoping that the defender’s contract status, lack of Premier League game-time (just 12 starts last season), age profile (he turns 32 next month) and £100,000-per-week salary (FBref) might persuade the Reds into selling.
Those are all logical reasons for Liverpool potentially entertaining a sale, but Jurgen Klopp may be reluctant to sell any defenders until one or two are brought in at Anfield.
Virgil van Dijk, Joe Gomez and Ibrahima Konate all had spells out injured last term (Transfermarkt), so while there may be six centre-back options in the current squad, history has shown that number can dwindle rapidly if circumstances conspire against us.
It’ll be intriguing to see if Kazanci and Besiktas follow up from their reported meeting with Matip’s camp with a concrete transfer offer over the coming weeks.