Ricardo Pereira Linked With Unlikely Move to Besiktas

Turkish side Besiktas have been linked with a bizarre and unlikely move for injured Leicester defender Ricardo Pereira, with the arrival of Timothy Castagne at King Power touted as the catalyst for his departure.

Pereira has been a key figure for Leicester since his 2018 arrival, and was one of the Premier League's best right-backs last season before a knee injury put him on the sidelines. His value now far supersedes the £20m the Foxes paid to sign him from Porto, and Barcelona and Tottenham are among the clubs who have held reported interest in signing him.

A move to Turkey, then, would be strange, particularly since the Leicester Mercury report that he isn't due back in training until October.

Nonetheless, Turkish outlet Fotospor are pressing ahead with claims that Besiktas are interested in bringing him to the Turkish Super Lig. As ever, Sport Witness have done a decent job of breaking the report down, and the crux of it is that Leicester's acquisition of Timothy Castagne from Atalanta has opened the door to Ricardo's departure.

While Castagne hasn't signed to be a bench warmer, his role in a fully fit Leicester squad will be to offer cover and competition in both full-back roles. He and Ricardo can, and likely will, exist in the same place at the same time.

A potential loan move is mooted, but there is no indication that Leicester would sign off on that type of bid, nor is there any logical reason for them to do so.

Pereira is under contract until 2023, and at 26, is just hitting the prime of his career. Unless an exceptional bid arrives - unlikely in the desolate financial climate left behind by COVID-19 - he is likely to stick around and play a major role in the 2020/21 season when he gets back to fitness.