After having one bid for Rob Holding turned down, Besiktas pivoted to a move for Southampton centre-back Lyanco, but that deal has now also collapsed.
Fabrizio Romano reported on Friday that Lyanco would return to Southampton this weekend after some issues with the clauses in the proposed transfer.
Besiktas, Southampton, and Lyanco himself made the decision to cancel the deal completely, and it’s now “definitely collapsed”.
But any hopes that this could lead to Besiktas pursuing Holding again appear to be short-lived.
Joe Krishnan recently reported that any chance of that move has been and gone, with various options explored but little movement since the initial talks.
David Ornstein had initially broken the news that Besiktas had submitted an offer to sign Holding worth €2.5m (£2.14m), but that was far below what Arsenal might consider to sell the defender.
Arsenal rejected the bid, with Holding still having a year left on his contract and an option to extend to 2025.
Holding hasn’t played any minutes in Arsenal’s last three pre-season friendlies, though that’s at least somewhat related to an injury.
The centre-back was suffering from muscle tightness ahead of the game against FC Nurnberg, and though he has since returned to the bench, he’s perhaps not fully fit yet.
Despite the likely failure of Besiktas’ attempt to sign Holding, Ed Aarons of The Guardian recently claimed that he’s expected to leave Arsenal this summer, either permanently or on loan.
It’s just a matter of getting some good offers in now, as ~£2m was never going to be enough to complete a deal.
