Cardiff City are planning to make a move for Beşiktaş midfielder Salih Uçan in January, with the player’s contract set to expire at the end of the 2023/24 campaign, according to Fanatik.
Uçan was a bright prospect a decade ago when Turkish giants Fenerbahce spent around £1 million to secure his services from Bucaspor which was a record fee at the time for a youth player in Turkey.
Following his stint in Istanbul, Uçan spent time at the likes of AS Roma and Empoli in Italy before heading back home. Eventually, Beşiktaş signed the three-cap Turkey international on a free transfer but his three-year deal is set to expire over the coming months.
As reported by Fanatik (via Wales Online), this has alerted Championship outfit Cardiff. Head coach Erol Bulut will know the 29-year-old very well from his time managing in the Süper Lig before making the jump to English football.
The outlet have also revealed that Uçan attempted to negotiate a new deal with Beşiktaş worth £1 million more per annum but this was rejected by the club.
The Bluebirds are now eligible to pay fees for players, having been placed under a transfer embargo after defaulting on payment for the transfer fee of Emiliano Sala who tragically died in 2019. The embargo was in place until the summer of 2024, but was reduced to January, allowing Cardiff City to do some business when the winter window rolls around.
Uçan will be available next summer on a free but Cardiff are keen to bring him in when the market reopens in a few weeks.
Writer’s View
This deal seems likely given that Uçan is out of contract at the end of the current campaign. Beşiktaş will not want to lose the player for nothing and so may accept an offer from Cardiff in January.
Bulut has made some decent signings during his brief tenure so far and Uçan could be another top name added to the squad within the next three months.
