File photo: Calvin Bassey
Fenerbahçe presidential candidate Aziz Yıldırım is planning a personal trip to London to accelerate talks over Super Eagles defender Calvin Bassey as the Turkish club make the Fulham centre-back their top defensive target this summer, PUNCH Sports Extra reports.
Yıldırım, who served as Fenerbahçe president for two decades before stepping down in 2018 and is now seeking to return to the role, is expected to hold direct talks with Fulham executives and Bassey’s representatives during the visit.
He regards the 26-year-old as the ideal candidate for the left centre-back position and has placed him ahead of all other defensive targets in the club’s summer planning, with his scouting team fully aligned on that assessment.
The motivation behind the pursuit is as much tactical as it is political within Istanbul’s football landscape. Fenerbahçe have been unable to dislodge city rivals Galatasaray at the top of Turkish football in recent seasons, with Cimbom’s dominance fuelled in large part by the goals of Bassey’s Super Eagles teammate Victor Osimhen.
