Another Turkish side Trabzonspor have joined their rivals Galatasaray in the race for Chelsea star Mikel Obi.
The Nigerian holding midfielder, 26, who was remarkable for his country during the FIFA Confederations Cup still has four years remaining on his deal in west London. Transfer experts suggest that Jose Mourinho could be convinced to let him move on as he looks to continue his off-season strengthening, having already re-enforced his midfield following the signing of Marco van Ginkel.
Galatasaray, where former Blues team-mate Didier Drogba now plays made their move last month and now their old Super Lig foes are also pushing for the £16m-rated star.
The Super Eagles midfielder has not been categorical about the Turkish links but he admitted last month that he is unsure whether he has a long-term future in London under returning manager Mourinho. The Nigeria international has spent seven years with Chelsea after joining in a controversial move from Lyn Oslo in 2006.
There have been mutterings about deals having been done, followed by stories about it all being a load of speculations but on Thursday fresh news filtered through that another potential Turkish destination could be on the horizon with Trabzonspor expressing an interest in the £16m man.
But all the news has come from Turkey and elsewhere as the Stamford Bridge team remain silent on the matter. Their expression on Thursday was not on the Nigerian but on a Portuguese youngster called Bruma. Bruma’s agent confirmed that both Chelsea and Galatasaray have tabled bids worth an initial €8m for the Sporting Lisbon attacker.
In other related developments, Juventus confirmed that they have completed the signing of Angelo Ogbonna from Torino, for a fee believed to be in the region of €14m.
The 25-year-old is one of the most highly-rated defenders in Italy and was linked with Premier League champion Manchester United before the Bianconeri firmed up their interest.
Ogbonna grew up in Turin and made his Torino debut against Calcio back in February 2007, before spending the following campaign on loan at Crotone.
Since then he has blossomed into one of the Granata’s star men and has built a reputation as an athletically-blessed performer who can cover both the centreback and left back slots.
That versatility is sure to have swayed Juve boss Antonio Conte into securing his signature given his preference for a 5-3-2 formation.
Ogbonna made 10 appearances for Italy’s under-21 side before progressing to the senior ranks and he was included in the Azzurri’s Euro 2012 squad, though he did not feature in the tournament.
His arrival comes on the same afternoon it was revealed Emanuele Giaccherini will leave Juventus Stadium for Sunderland.