Istanbul Basaksehir Eye Move For Champions League Winner

According to reports from Ed Aarons, Istanbul Basaksehir are now negotiating with former Liverpool midfielder Naby Keita after Sunderland failed to agree terms with the player.

The Turkish club have moved swiftly to open talks with the Guinean international, who is seeking a fresh challenge following his short stint at Werder Bremen. A move to Basaksehir would be seen as a significant addition to their squad, as Keita’s experience in European football could bolster their domestic and European ambitions.

Keita first made his name at RB Salzburg and RB Leipzig, where his performances earned him a £52.75m transfer to Liverpool in 2018. While injuries plagued his time at Anfield, Keita still managed to lift the Premier League and Champions League trophies. However, his inability to secure a regular starting place led to his departure in 2023.

Founded in 1990, Boz Baykuşlar are one of Turkey’s younger football clubs but have rapidly risen to prominence backed by significant investment. Their most notable achievement came in the 2019-2020 season when they won their first-ever league title, breaking the dominance of traditional powerhouses like Galatasaray, Fenerbahçe, and Beşiktaş.

In the last two years, however, Basaksehir have experienced mixed results. After their title-winning campaign, the club struggled with form and consistency, finishing 12th in the 2020-2021 season, well below expectations. Basaksehir have since showed signs of recovery, finishing fourth in the league, which secured them a spot in European competition. They remained competitive in the 2022-2023 season, finishing fifth and continuing to solidify their status as a strong contender in Turkish football.

Keita would represent something of a coup for them, given that he only left Anfield in the summer of 2023. His time in the Bundesliga has not been great – he’s played just five times for them since the move, and hasn’t appeared at all this season. A move to Istanbul would offer him Conference League football, with Rapid Wien, Copenhagen and Cercle Brugge among the Turkish outfit’s opponents.

Site Opinion

This could be a masterstroke by Basaksehir, although they should exercise caution. Keita has been a top player in his time, but his last 18 months or so have been worrying, and any deal should factor in his lack of game time. If Basaksehir can get him fit and firing, they’d have a world-class midfielder on their hands, but it has been a while since he was a regular for Liverpool.

Medicals are robust in the modern age, and doubtless, the club wouldn’t do anything that put them at risk, but there are alarm bells ringing here. It could be a genius move, but like a box of fireworks, it has the potential to blow up in their face very quickly.