Besiktas' fans celebrate their 2016-2017 Turkish league champion title after the Turkish Spor Toto Super league football match between Besiktas and Osmanlispor near the Vodafone Park stadium on June 3, 2017 in Istanbul. / AFP PHOTO / YASIN AKGUL (Photo credit should read YASIN AKGUL/AFP/Getty Images)
Turkish giants Beşiktaş are reportedly monitoring the Premier League relegation battle with predatory interest, as they have identified Nottingham Forest’s Ibrahim Sangaré as a priority target for their summer rebuild.
The Black Eagles are “hoping for relegation” at the City Ground to facilitate a deal for the Ivorian international, sources have told Turkish-Football.
Beşiktaş believe that a drop to the Championship would make the 28-year-old midfielder significantly easier to prize away from England.
The Engine Room Overhaul
Under the guidance of the Beşiktaş board, the club is looking to add elite physicality and experience to their midfield. Sangaré, who moved to Forest from PSV Eindhoven in 2023 for a reported £30 million, fits the profile perfectly.
His partnership with Elliot Anderson has been a rare bright spot in what has been a difficult domestic campaign for the “Tricky Trees.”
Sangaré is viewed as a “certain departure” should Vitor Pereira’s side fail to maintain their top-flight status. However, if Forest manages to secure survival—buoyed by their recent 3-0 victory over fellow strugglers Tottenham—the club will hold all the cards in negotiations, especially with Sangaré’s contract running until June 2028.
A Tale of Two Seasons
While Nottingham Forest is fighting for its life in the Premier League (currently sitting 16th), the club is paradoxically enjoying a historic run in the Europa League, where they have reached the quarter-finals to face FC Porto.
Despite this European success, the financial reality of relegation would likely force Forest to offload high-earners like Sangaré. Beşiktaş is ready to pounce on this vulnerability, viewing the physically imposing defensive midfielder as the ideal anchor for their 2026-27 squad.
The “Süper Lig” Factor
The move would represent a significant coup for Turkish football. Sangaré’s pedigree—having played nearly 150 games for PSV and establishing himself as a Premier League regular—would make him one of the most high-profile arrivals in Istanbul in recent years.
For Sangaré, a move to Beşiktaş would offer the chance to consistently compete for domestic titles and play in European competitions, a prospect that may outweigh the struggle of a relegation-threatened Premier League side or a season in the Championship.