Barcelona midfielder Arda Turan s expected switch to Basaksehir is 99 per cent done and could be announced on Friday, according to his agent.
Turan has struggled for game time since his move to Barca from Atletico Madrid in 2015 and he is yet to make an appearance this season.
The 30-year-old is set to play club football in his homeland for the first time since 2011 as he nears a move to Basaksehir, who are top of the Super Lig.
We have said yes to Basaksehir and Barcelona, with 99 per cent chance, will also say yes to the offer, Turan s agent, Ahmet Bulut, told A Spor.
Everything s going well. The announcement to be made tomorrow.
Turan has made 55 competitive appearances for Barca, scoring 15 goals.
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Georginio Wijnaldum believes Manchester United are a greater rival to Liverpool than Everton because Jose Mourinho s side are competing for silverware.
Liverpool travel to Goodison Park to face Everton on Saturday, with the Reds having long since secured Premier League supremacy on Merseyside for another year, with the Toffees way back in ninth.
Midfielder Wijnaldum therefore believes games against United two points and one position above third-place Liverpool are of more importance, comparing the situation to that former club Feyenoord face in the Eredivisie.
If Everton have some good results during the year and are also going to play for the title, I think then it s a much bigger match than it is right now, the Netherlands international told ESPN.
E…
Glenn Whelan has signed a 12-month contract extension at Stoke City, the club have announced.
Whelan, who joined the Potters from Sheffield Wednesday for £500,000 in 2008, has made more than 300 appearances for the club and played a key part in Stoke establishing themselves as a Premier League mainstay.
The 32-year-old s previous deal was due to expire in June 2017 but that has now been extended by a further year.
Stoke chief executive Tony Scholes said: Glenn has been one of the mainstays of our side since his arrival and few players can have provided such value for money in the history of the Premier League.
He remains a key figure in Mark Hughes squad and we are delighted he has decided to extend his stay at the bet365 Stadium.
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Gareth Bale has moved to deny rumours he had a bad relationship with former Real Madrid team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo.
The duo, once the most expensive two players in football, played alongside one another at the Santiago Bernabeu between 2013 and 2018 but were said to have a poor rapport prior to the Portuguese s transfer to Juventus.
However, the Wales star now says he relished playing with his former team-mate despite the rumours to the contrary.
Cristiano is an incredible player, I thoroughly enjoyed playing with him, he said on a segment of BT Sport s What I Wore series.
Obviously the media try and hype all these problems which were never there. We got on really well. An incredible player, what he did for the club and the amount of goals he scored…
According to , Stoke City boss Paul Lambert has told Dutch midfielder Ibrahim Afellay to stay away from the club for the rest of the campaign. Reportedly, the Potters boss believes the midfielder to be a bad influence on his teammates.
Afellay has struggled to make his mark at Stoke. In fact, he has made just one Premier League start this season, which was in the Potters 5-0 hammering at Chelsea at the end of last year. The former Barcelona player has also made five substitute appearances for the team from Staffordshire.
A wasted career
When Ibrahim Afellay starred as a youngster for PSV Eindhoven in the late 2000’s he was seen as one of the best young attacking midfielders in the world game.
He was part of the Dutch squad that finished runners-up at the 2010…
Pep Guardiola will bring a better brand of football to Manchester City next season, according to striker Roque Santa Cruz.
The Bayern Munich boss will take charge at the Etihad Stadium in July, having agreed a three-year deal to succeed incumbent Manuel Pellegrini.
City have won the Premier League and two League Cups under Pellegrini, while the Chilean has also guided them to the semi-finals of the Champions League this season for the first time in their history.
Yet Santa Cruz who spent eight years at Bayern before later joining City believes Guardiola s style will make a huge difference at City in the coming years.
I think City like to play good football, he told Omnisport. They have some great players.
I think they will value Guardiola s play…
Keeping hold of Rafael Benitez should be Newcastle United s top priority in the off-season, according to Jonjo Shelvey.
After guiding the club back to the Premier League in his first full season in charge, Benitez has steered Newcastle clear of the relegation zone to retain their top-flight status.
However, despite his success since replacing Steve McClaren, the Spaniard s future at St James Park remains unclear.
Shelvey has called on Newcastle to do everything possible to keep hold of a manager who has not only lifted the mood in the club but also across the entire city.
I have got a good feeling that the manager will stay and we will keep building and that will probably be the most important signing of the summer, making Rafa stay, he told Sky Sports.<…
Spain slipped to a 2-1 defeat to Egypt as the Pharaohs claimed top spot in Group C at the Paris Olympics.
One of the favourites for a medal at the Games, Spain were ultimately second best for much of Tuesday s contest in Bordeaux.
Ibrahim Adel s double put Egypt in control, before a powerful header from Samu Omorodion in the 90th minute teed up a grandstand finish.
Yet Spain, who had earlier hit the woodwork, could not capitalise on 10 minutes of added time to find an equaliser.
It means Egypt top the group with seven points from their three fixtures, while Spain progress in second place, with the other match between Uzbekistan and the Dominican Republic having finished 1-1.
Egypt will face the runner-up of Group D, which could be any of Japan, Pa…
While striking superstars such as and Kylian Mbappe have been at the heart of real speculation this summer, many of Europe’s budding number nines have also attracted some heavyweight interest.
With many expecting what looks set to be a record-breaking summer transfer window from across Europe’s elite, the likes of Manchester United, Real Madrid and all have a new striking icon at the top of their wishlist.
Watching many of Europe’s hottest young marksman burst onto the scene during the 2022/23 campaign, the new crop of striking stars have continued to make a major statement.
Ahead of what looks set to be a merry-go-round of number nines this summer, we have taken a look at three budding attackers who are attracting major interest.
Rasmus Hojlund Ata…
According to Sky Sports, Burnley have put in an improved bid for Ben Gibson after Middlesbrough rejected the initial bid of £12 million. The second bid is believed to be in the region of £13 million, as the Clarets attempt to bolster their squad ahead of a season that will see them competing in the Premier League, FA Cup, League Cup and Europa League.
Burnley manager Sean Dyche recently commented on how difficult the transfer window is, as Burnley attempt to make a few key moves before the window shuts. Gibson, 25, has been with Boro since 2010, and in that time he s established himself as one of the best young defenders in the country.
Burnley beat Aberdeen last night to ensure that their Europa League journey didn t come to a premature end, and as we look ahead to t…