Besiktas to rival Fenerbahce in chase for Newcastle striker Aleksandar Mitrovic

Besiktas are set to rival Turkish giants Fenerbahce in the pursuit of Newcastle United striker Aleksandar Mitrovic, according to KartalBakisi.com (via Sport Witness).

The 22-year-old moved to St James’ Park back in 2015 after an impressive spell in Belgium with Anderlecht, but he hasn’t quote replicated those heights in the North East, netting just 15 goals in 65 games for the Magpies.

And although he showed promise with nine goals in 34 Premier League games in the 2015/16 campaign, he couldn’t prevent the club going down to the Championship, and last term saw him earn just 11 starts under Rafa Benitez, scoring just four times as the Magpies clinched promotion at the first time of asking.

And his struggle for form as well as minutes on the pitch has plunged his Newcastle future into doubt, and indeed attracted interest from Turkey as Besiktas have reportedly joined Fenerbahce in the race for the young striker.

Besiktas secured their 15th Super Lig title last term by winning 23 of their 34 league matches, beating Istanbul Basaksehir to the summit by four points, and finishing 13 points ahead of Fenerbahce in third.

And with the former being able to offer Champions League football, while Fenerbahce will have to go through a qualifying round to reach just the Europa League, Mitrovic may well be tempted by a move away this summer, especially with it unlikely that he’ll feature much in Newcastle’s upcoming Premier League campaign.

Yet, it remains to be seen whether a deal can be done as the Magpies are reportedly holding out for £10 million, making a loan deal a more likely outcome for the £8.5 million-rated ace (as per Transfermarket).