Orlando City's Cyle Larin closes in on Besiktas move
Orlando City forward Cyle Larin is on the verge of joining Besiktas after undergoing a medical with the Turkish club before finalising a transfer for an unspecified fee.
The Canadian international's goal of progressing his career with a move to Europe is close to becoming a reality after he was put through his paces at the FIFA Medical Center of Excellence in Istanbul on Saturday.
Negotiations on for signing Canadian striker Cyle Larin as he undergoes physical at @ACIBADEMSPORTS
— Beşiktaş JK English (@BesiktasEnglish) January 13, 2018
# Beşiktaş #Football pic.twitter.com/QpurNjBzeJ
Reports of a move to Besiktas surfaced Friday, but a spokesperson from Orlando City revealed to Alicia Rodriguez of MLSSoccer.com that an offer had yet to be submitted by the SuperLig side.
According to Alicia Rose DelGallo of ProSoccerUSA.com, Orlando is planning on "taking action" against Besiktas for announcing Larin's medical despite the fact the Canadian is under contract at the MLS side until 2019.
Issues here: For Orlando City - proving validity of contract options (club has taken steps to protect itself), working out a deal for player who no longer wants to be there. For Besiktas - possible tampering charge, deciding whether Larin has case for free agency to fight for
— Alicia Rose DelGallo (@OSAliciaD) January 13, 2018
The 22-year-old, who was selected first overall in the 2015 MLS Draft, brought his overall scoring tally with Orlando to 43 goals after finding the back of the 12 times last season.
After the campaign, he declared his desire to move abroad in the weeks after he was arrested on a DUI charge.
Larin, who has won over 20 caps for Canada since making his senior debut in 2014, is expected to fill the void up front left by Cenk Tosun, who joined Everton earlier this month.