Demarai Gray could join Besiktas this summer.
That’s according to Turkish journalist Gökmen Özcan, who has reported that the club want to sign the Everton winger and have been in negotiations over a move ‘for some time’.
The Toffees paid only £1.7 million to lure Gray from Bayer Leverkusen to Goodison Park and he was hailed as an ‘unbelievable find’ by Rio Ferdinand as he bagged eleven goals and five assists in all competitions.
Despite Everton having the option of a further year once Gray’s contract expires next summer, the 27-year-old has instead been heavily linked with a move away from Merseyside.
The forward has already attracted interest from the likes of Fulham, Crystal Palace and sides in Saudi Arabia, however it now looks like Besiktas have been pursuing his signature for a while now.
Everton are said to be open to selling Gray as they look to fund their own transfers and are reportedly demanding around £15m to part ways with the Jamaica international – almost eight times as much as they paid only two years ago.
Everton’s relationship with Besiktas could help push Demarai Gray switch
Everton have formed a positive relationship with Besiktas following the transfers of Dele Alli and Cenk Tosun.
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Their recent business may help the Turkish giants land Demarai Gray if they are willing to meet the Toffees’ demands, while Sean Dyche’s club may also prefer to send him abroad rather than to their Premier League rivals.
The forward may also be tempted by the switch as it means he will compete in the Europa Conference League after Besiktas finished third in the league after their first year of European absence since the 2012/13 season.
Gray has already spent time abroad with Bayer Leverkusen and is unlikely to be phased by leaving England, however Saudi Arabia may also offer him a lucrative salary to follow in the footsteps of the likes of Jordan Henderson, Ruben Neves and N’Golo Kante.