Arsenal have been joined by Stoke City, Southampton and West Bromwich Albion in wanting to sign Besiktas midfielder Oguzhan Ozyakup, according to Aksam.
The Turkish newspaper reports that the Gunners have previously had a £11m offer rejected for the 25 year old. The London club have a 30% sell-on clause on the Turkish international, and it would have meant Besiktas would have received just £7.7million from the transfer.
Club president Fikret Orman reportedly felt it was below market value for the player, despite Ozyakup only having six months left on his contract at the club.
The Besiktas captain played for Arsenal’s academy side between 2008 and 2012 before joining his current club for just £500,000. His star has gradually risen since then, and he now has 32 caps at senior level for Turkey. He’s also been an integral part of Senol Gunes’s side who have progressed to the last 16 of the Champions League after finishing top of their group.
