Besiktas ‘to look elsewhere’ after £21.7m Isidor price | OneFootball

Besiktas have cooled their pursuit of Sunderland striker Wilson Isidor after learning he would cost upwards of £21.7 million, Fotospor reports.

The Istanbul club had viewed the 25-year-old as a possible replacement for Tammy Abraham, who joined Aston Villa for £18 million on Tuesday. They had also been weighing up moves for Wolves midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde and West Ham pair Tomas Soucek and Alphonse Areola.

The report said Besiktas accelerated their push and opened talks, but were told Sunderland would not consider a sale below that figure.

As a result, the likelihood of an agreement is now described as minimal, and Besiktas are assessing other options. The Super Lig transfer window closes on February 6th.

Isidor has scored four times for Sunderland this season, but has not found the net since October and has recently lost his starting spot to Brian Brobbey.

Head coach Regis Le Bris said he has held a number of conversations with Isidor and his agent, calling the striker important and stressing that Brian’s current form benefits the team. He added that young forwards can experience dips over the course of a season.

Le Bris acknowledged Isidor’s frustration as understandable and said the club are supporting and challenging him. He described their dialogue as open and positive, with clarity on expectations and feedback on the set-up.

Source: Sunderland Echo