TBR Football can exclusively reveal that Newcastle United, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa and West Ham all had scouts present to watch Besiktas defeat local rivals Galatasaray at the weekend.
Newcastle, Forest, Villa and West Ham are all likely to be busy in the summer transfer window as they look to bolster their respective ranks.
The Magpies will be eager to build on their Carabao Cup win, while the Reds will look to improve their strength in depth should they qualify for Europe.
Meanwhile, the Villans will be eager to maintain their upward trajectory and the Hammers will want to kick on after a season of transition.
All four clubs were keeping tabs on two players in particular, one likened to Son Heung-min and another described as the ‘Turkish Aguero’.
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Newcastle, Nottingham Forest, Aston Villa and West Ham scouted Baris Alper Yilmaz and Semih Kilicsoy
TBR Football chief correspondent Graeme Bailey understands that Turkish stars Baris Alper Yilmaz and Semih Kilicsoy both continue to be watched closely by a number of Premier League clubs.
We can reveal that Newcastle, Forest, Villa and West Ham were all represented in Istanbul over the weekend to see Besiktas defeat local rival Galatasaray 2-1.
TBR Football have been told that the main reason that all the clubs were present was to check on versatile wide-man Yilmaz.
The 24-year-old has long been on the radar of the English clubs and there is a genuine prospect of him moving to England this summer.
The clubs present also got the chance to continue their checks on highly-rated teenage forward Kilicsoy, who played the last half-hour of the game before being shown a red card.
Many feel Kilicsoy was somewhat unlucky to get his marching orders.
What Baris Alper Yilmaz and Semih Kilicsoy could bring to the Premier League
Yilmaz currently plays for Galatasaray, having made the move from Keciorengucu back in 2021.
The 24-year-old has made 149 appearances for the Turkish giants, registering 22 goals and 19 assists.
Yilmaz has also won 26 caps for Turkiye and played in all five of his nation’s games at Euro 2024.
Football Talent Scout’s Jacek Kulig claimed back in 2021 that Yilmaz boasted 8 out of 10 potential and likened him to Tottenham star Son Heung-min.
Gaziantep manager Selcuk Inan said last year that Yilmaz has what it takes to shine at Premier League level.
He said: “I think Baris Alper Yilmaz can play very comfortably for many teams in the Premier League at the moment. He’s a very special player. We worked a lot together.
“If Baris Alper improves himself with his final ball, he can easily play for the best clubs in the world such as Barcelona, Real Madrid, Liverpool and Arsenal.
“He’s a player with a lot of potential. Hopefully, he will get that chance and represent them.”
Meanwhile, Kilicsoy has already made 78 appearances, 16 goals and nine assists for Besiktas, despite being just 19 years old.
Football Talent Scout likened Kilicsoy to Sergio Aguero, as well as Timo Werner.
In January, Besiktas academy director Mehmet Eksi said of Kilicsoy: “As infrastructure teachers, we compare Semih to Gerd Muller.
“Some compared him to [Sergio] Aguero. He also sees Aguero as his idol.”
Eksi also said Kilicsoy controls the ball “very well, and uses his body very well by getting between the ball and the opponent. Very fast over short distances.
“He plays in three areas – right winger, left winger and centre-forward. He also plays behind the striker very well.”
