Revealed: Newcastle & Aston Villa leading race for €20m forward transfer | OneFootball

Newcastle United and Aston Villa are leading the race for the transfer of highly-rated young Besiktas striker Semih Kilicsoy, CaughtOffside understands.

The 19-year-old has caught the eye with 16 goals in 75 games for Besiktas in total, with scouts from Premier League clubs watching him in recent games.

As well as Newcastle and Villa, sources have informed CaughtOffside that Kilicsoy also has admirers in the form of Fulham, Everton and Nottingham Forest.

It remains to be seen where Kilicsoy will end up, but it seems there will be an opportunity for clubs to snap up the Turkey international this summer.

CaughtOffside understands Besiktas would be willing to accept offers in the region of €20m for Kilicsoy.

It is also anticipated that clubs will firm up their interest with concrete approaches for the player by the end of the season.

Semih Kilicsoy of Turkey warms up (Photo by Ahmad Mora/Getty Images)

Could we see Semih Kilicsoy sealing a transfer to a Premier League club?

Kilicsoy looks like an impressive young talent with a big future, and his asking price looks like it should be affordable for most Premier League clubs.

One imagines Kilicsoy will also have interest from elsewhere in Europe in the weeks and months ahead, but Newcastle and Villa looks like teams to watch in the race for his signature.

Both the Magpies and Villans have done some smart recruitment in recent times, so bringing in a prospect like this for a reasonable fee would fit their strategy well.

Kilicsoy wouldn’t necessarily be a starter at St James’ Park due to the presence of Alexander Isak up front, but he could surely be a useful squad player.

Villa also need a bit more depth up front after letting Jhon Duran leave for Al Nassr in January, with Unai Emery lacking depth behind Ollie Watkins to lead his attack.