Official: Salih Özcan joins top club after leaving BVB | OneFootball

After leaving Borussia Dortmund, Salih Özcan has found a new club. The midfielder is joining Turkey on a free transfer.

Salih Özcan will continue his career with Beşiktaş Istanbul. The traditional Turkish club announced the signing of the 28-year-old midfielder after his contract with Borussia Dortmund expired at the end of June.

There had already been signs in recent days that the transfer was in the works, as had become apparent over the past few days. Both the Turkish TV channel A Spor and transfer journalist Yagiz Sabuncuoglu had consistently reported that the two sides had reached an agreement. With the official confirmation, those reports have now been borne out. This brings Özcan’s time at BVB to an end after three years. In the summer of 2022, the Cologne-born player joined Dortmund from 1. FC Köln for around five million euros.

However, the defensive midfielder never managed to consistently live up to expectations. Although he featured regularly, he mostly had to settle for a backup role. A loan spell at VfL Wolfsburg also failed to have the desired effect. Last season, the 32-time Turkey international made just 12 competitive appearances and played a total of only 74 minutes.

Former BVB star Özcan joins Beşiktaş Istanbul

Photo: IMAGO

At Beşiktaş, Özcan has signed a long-term contract. According to A Spor, the midfielder has committed to the club for three years and is set to earn around 2.5 million euros per season. Yagiz Sabuncuoglu had previously also reported a three-year deal, though with an option for a further year and a slightly lower annual salary.

With this move, Özcan is leaving Germany for the first time in his professional career. After spells at 1. FC Köln, Holstein Kiel, Borussia Dortmund and VfL Wolfsburg, the midfielder will now play in the Turkish Süper Lig. The signing is also particularly significant for Beşiktaş because of the new foreign-player rule, as Turkey internationals are set to become even more valuable in squad planning going forward.

At one point, there were also rumors about a return to 1. FC Köln as well as interest from Werder Bremen. In the end, however, Özcan opted for the offer from Istanbul. At Beşiktaş, he now wants to make a fresh sporting start and earn himself a regular place in the starting XI.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇩🇪 here.