Earlier this week, it was suggested that the continental side had identified Isidor as a potential replacement for Tammy Abraham, who completed an £18 million transfer to Aston Villa on Tuesday. It was also claimed that Besiktas were looking to reinvest that money into their squad this month, and were weighing up an approach for Wolves midfielder Jean-Ricner Bellegarde, as well as West Ham duo Tomas Soucek and Alphonse Areola.
But a fresh update from Turkish outlet Fotospor would seem to suggest that any hopes of prising Isidor away from Sunderland over the coming days have all but dissipated. It is stated that Besiktas looked to accelerate their efforts to sign the 25-year-old, and even went as far as to open talks over a potential deal, but were subsequently informed that the Black Cats would not consider a sale for anything less than £21.7 million.
Consequently, the chance of an agreement being struck between the two clubs is now considered “close to zero”, with Besiktas now assessing other options due to Sunderland’s “stubbornness”. It is also noted that the Turkish side have until February 6th, when the Super Lig transfer window closes, to sign a new centre-forward.
What has been said about Wilson Isidor’s future at Sunderland?
Besiktas’ apparent interest in Isidor comes amid ongoing speculation over his future on Wearside. The striker has scored four times for Sunderland this season, but hasn’t found the back of the net since October, and has been usurped in the starting XI by Brian Brobbey in recent weeks.
It is within this context that head coach Regis Le Bris admitted in a recent press conference that he has held conversations with Isidor about his role at the Stadium of Light. He said: “For Wilson, I’ve had many conversations with him and his agent recently. He’s a really good player, important for us, did really well in the past and for sure in the future as well.
“We still have momentum and I think for Sunderland at the minute it’s really positive to have Brian in good form. And two strikers, Eli [Mayenda] and Wilson, ready to go. It’s normal to have some difficult periods because they are still young, new in the league. So I don’t know if it’s possible to sustain the level for a whole season in this league. So it’s just normal to have different periods.”
“Yes, sure [he is frustrated at the moment], which I think is acceptable, it’s not new in professional life,” Le Bris added. “I think you have to accept good and bad periods, I think if we compare with last season, he had more or less this dynamic, he started well, then struggled a bit, and then went back at the end of the season, so he’s learning, we are here to support him, to challenge him, so now the connection is really good, really positive, really open, so I can explain what I expect from him, he can give me feedback about the set-up, what he finds difficult to get better, so I think this connection is really positive, even if he struggles a bit at the minute.”
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