Rumour Mongering: Besiktas Target Loris Karius

The transfer window may have closed late last week for Premier League sides, but with it remaining open elsewhere in Europe there are still a few weeks left for surplus players to be sold or loaned out, and Liverpool are likely to have outgoings.

In particular, at least one of Loris Karius and Simon Mignolet is expected to be sold as Liverpool look to cut down on the number of senior goalkeepers in the squad, and today reports out of Turkey claim Karius could be the one moving on.

Turkish outlet Fanatik claim Besiktas, who sold starter Fabri to Fulham this summer, have set their sights on Karius—after considering and passing on both Mignolet and Arsenal backup David Ospina—and expect he would cost around €12M.

It’s a similar fee to the one Liverpool are seeking for Mignolet, and as such it seems low for a goalkeeper five years younger and ahead of the Belgian on Liverpool’s depth chart. If Besiktas actually are after Karius, they will likely have to go higher.

Of course, there are reasons for skepticism beyond the suggested price being lower than what Liverpool would be expected to seek—namely that it feels like every fringe Liverpool player gets linked with a Turkish move every summer.

In the end, those rumoured moves almost never amount to anything. Still, Liverpool do need to move on one of Karius or Mignolet before the end of the month. It may not be Karius and it may not be to Besiktas, but there will be a departure.