Reigning Turkish Süper Lig champions Besiktas JK is reportedly closing in on a £3 million transfer deal for Manchester City’s veteran defender Aleksandar Kolarov as new Sky Blues head coach Pep Guardiola is keen on shaking up his backfield this summer.
Sports Livestream ⚽ JOIN NOW for FREE
Instant access to the BT Sport, Sky Sports and Eurosport
The 30-year-old Serbian left back had been with City for the last six seasons after he was acquired from Italian Serie A side SS Lazio in the summer of 2010 for a reported fee of £16 million. He had appeared in a total of 200 games in all competitions for the Manchester outfit and had scored 20 times as a defender during the said time span.
Kolarov had already agreed “on personal terms” with the Black Eagles for a £50,000 weekly wage and the deal with City will soon be finalized, according to The Sun.
Besiktas president Fikret Orman was mum about the news, though, as he did not confirm anything when asked by reporters.
“We are aiming to sign a left-back and Kolarov could be one of the candidates, but we are interested in many players,” said Orman. “Kolarov is a name which the press have been talking about, but he is someone who has a contract with another club.”
The report then continued that the Turkish side is hoping to “wrap up the move” within this week “so they can unveil him at a fan event” during the weekend.
The 6-foot-2 Belgrade, SFR Yugoslavia native is said to be a surplus to Guardiola’s plans for the Citizens next season as the Spanish bench tactician is leaning on introducing a youth movement at the Etihad moving forward.
Last month, City released 35-year-old center back Martin Demichelis and 38-year-old goalkeeper Richard Wright as Guardiola officially began his youth movement this summer.
Meanwhile, Caught Offside indicated that Guardiola is currently focusing on Wolfsburg’s 23-year-old left back Ricardo Rodriguez as his potential replacement for Kolarov moving forward.
It also mentioned that Kolarov wants to stay and play under Guardiola next season as he also desires to finish his career in Manchester and apply for a coaching position in the future. However, it seems like his time in England has ended as he is set to be sold to Besiktas.
