Besiktas remain determined to secure the signing of Inter outcast Joao Mario before their summer transfer window closes next week, according to reports in Turkey.
The Portuguese midfielder remains contracted to the Nerazzurri for the moment despite having expressed his desire to leave the club at the beginning of the summer, with reports this week suggesting that a lack of satisfactory offers could force him to stay for another season.
However Fanatik, one of Turkey’s most popular sports newspapers, reported on Friday that Besiktas president Fikret Orman is keen to sign the 25 year-old before the transfer window in Turkey shuts on 31 August.
The 15-time Super Lig champions secured a 1-1 draw in the first leg of their UEFA Europa League playoff tie against Partizan on Thursday and are still searching for a player to replace Talisca, who spent the previous two seasons on loan at the club from Benfica.
Joao Mario was identified as one of the club’s main targets at the start of the summer but his desire to return to the Premier League made securing a deal impossible. With the English transfer window now closed, though, Besiktas and two other Turkish sides are attempting to persuade the player to move to the Super Lig.
