Besiktas chief Ahmet Nur Cebi has confirmed that Manchester United target Wout Weghorst will be allowed to leave the club once the Turkish giants have secured a replacement.
The Manchester Evening News reported on Tuesday that the Reds are close to agreeing a deal for the attacker in a loan transfer that would cost £2.5m. MEN Sport also revealed there is a hold-up with Besiktas’ desired striker successor Vincent Aboubakar, who has been made available by Al-Nassr following Cristiano Ronaldo’s arrival.
The Cameroon striker is asking the club for the same wages he received in Saudi Arabia, which has become a hurdle in negotiations. Weghorst has been loaned to Besiktas from parent club Burnley.
READ MORE: United close to Wout Weghorst agreement
The Clarets did not attach a release clause to the loan deal and inserted an option-to-buy opportunity for the summer, and so Besiktas would have to be compensated for his departure.
The Super Lig club initially released a statement on Monday rebuffing suggestions that Weghorst - who returned to training on Tuesday despite appearing to say his goodbyes at the weekend - would leave.
It read: "The claim that there is an exit clause in our football player’s contract, stating that his contract can be terminated with a compensation of 2.5 million Euros in case of an offer from the Premier League, is fictitious.
"However, the news that the player in question will leave the team on Tuesday is completely untrue. The initiative regarding Wout Weghorst belongs entirely to Besiktas. If there is a development on this issue, the information will be shared."
Now, club president Cebi has shared an update on Weghorst’s potential exit. As per Milliyet, he said: “With the victories over Adana Demirspor and Kasimpasa we have caught a good mood again.
“In this critical period, I will not leave the team without a striker. If we agree on the terms after getting in a quality striker, then we will send Weghorst away. Otherwise, Weghorst will stay in the team.”
Besiktas are currently outside of the European spots in the Super Lig, sitting fifth and five points off the top three.
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