Rumour Mongering: Besiktas Step Up Loris Karius Pursuit

With Napoli signing David Ospina, Simon Mignolet’s most likely destination for the coming season—one his agent was talking up as an all but done deal earlier in the week— is off the table. The obvious question would seem to be what comes next for the Belgian.

The answer, though, could turn out to be a Liverpool stay and, instead, a move for Loris Karius. At least that’s what the always speculative Turkish press are claiming, as Ospina was more than just a Napoli target this summer—he was also, they claim, Besiktas’ top target.

And over the past week, as Besiktas have come to believe Ospina wouldn’t be an option, Aksam say they’ve stepped up their pursuit of their second choice—Liverpool’s Loris Karius. They further claim that Jürgen Klopp has signed off on allowing him to depart on loan.

A sale would also be possible, but given Besiktas’ financial limitations a loan would be their preference. Not that any of this transfer speculation seems likely to actually amount to anything, at least based on the laughably bad track record of the Turkish press.

Still, Liverpool need to find a home somewhere for either Karius or Mignolet, and with the transfer window set to shut in Italy ahead of the start of the new season there they are quickly running out of potential destinations for their surplus players.