Rumour Mongering: Broke Besiktas Can’t Afford Loris Karius Transfer Fee

It’s been a while since we checked in on old friend and technically-still-a-Liverpool-player Loris Karius, the 26-year-old goalkeeper currently playing out the second season of his two-year Besiktas loan to generally favourable reviews.

Today, though, there are reports out of Turkey claiming that despite Karius’ loan deal including an €8M permanent clause based on appearances and club record that set to be met by the end of the season, he will be returning to Liverpool.

If there’s a clause, and if the conditions for it to be triggered will have been triggered, why will Karius be returning to Liverpool? Well, because Besiktas are broke, skint, or otherwise short on the disposable income to pay the fee.

To be fair, we’ve heard rumblings of this before. It’s felt as though, over the past six or so months, while Besiktas have been said to be happy with Karius’ play they’ve also been said repeatedly to be struggling with the idea of paying his fee.

We’ve never quite been sure if it’s a case of can’t or just don’t want to, but after some suggestions in the autumn Liverpool and Besiktas had agreed on an altered payment plan that would allow them to keep Karius, here we are again.

Which could mean that altered payment plan never existed, or it could mean that it existed but Besiktas now want an even better deal, or it could mean that Besiktas really don’t have the €8M needed to pay for Karius’ permanent transfer.

It seems a fairly safe assumption, though, that whatever the particulars of Besiktas’ situation and view on Karius, if he does return to Liverpool this summer the goal will be to find a new and permanent home for him in short order.