West Ham United defender Arthur Masuaku to head to Istanbul next week ahead of Besiktas move
Arthur Masuaku is edging closer to the exit door at West Ham United as he is set to fly to Istanbul next week, according to Fanatik.
The Democratic Republic of Congo international is seen as a fringe player at the London Stadium and the Irons are therefore open to his sale but it looks more likely to be a loan-to-buy deal this summer.
Turkish Super League side Besiktas are the club set to sign the 28-year-old having successfully twisted the arm of West Ham after they initially asked for a transfer fee of £4.2million.
The Black and Whites wanted a loan instead and got their wish with Masuaku now set to fly to Istanbul in the first week of August to finalise contract negotiations.
His 2021-22 season at the London Stadium was very scarce with just 13 appearances but he did score a crucial goal at home to Chelsea to seal three points for the Hammers.
Great deal
David Moyes will have identified Masuaku as one of the players he would have wanted to get rid of most this summer knowing that he needed to make room for a number of new signings.
Where he ended up was probably not on his mind though when the transfer window opened but Besiktas is probably the best club they could have hoped to receive an offer from.
The Turkish outfit have plenty of cash behind them to be able to afford a reasonable transfer fee come next summer and a good chunk of his bloated Premier League wages this season too which will please those paying that wage packet at the moment.
Aaron Cresswell has kept the 28-year-old firmly out of contention for the most part for a number of years now and the emergence of Ben Johnson, who can play on both flanks, has given him yet more headaches.