Southampton given boost to sign target following talks – Player not involved in pre-season

According to a claim in the Turkish media, Besiktas need to offload Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain due to the foreigner rule in Super Lig.

The former Liverpool man has been linked with a return to his former club Southampton after a disappointing debut season in Istanbul.

Sporx today report Oxlade-Chamberlain looks surplus to requirements due to Besiktas having too many foreign players on their books. Recent changes by the Turkish FA have allowed clubs to have 14 foreigners, but the Black Eagles currently have 19.

Oxlade-Chamberlain is reportedly one of the five they will look to sell due to this issue and the 30-year-old has been excluded from their pre-season camp in Slovenia. It’s also likely the Black Eagles will want to get the attacker off their wage bill after signing some high profile players this summer.

This is likely to come as a boost for Southampton after recent claims they are in transfer talks to re-sign him. The player himself is said to be eyeing a return to England just 12 months after arriving in Turkey.

Oxlade-Chamberlain made 30 appearances for Besiktas last season, scoring 4 goals. He’s contracted to the club until June 2026.