Bayindir's United Blues: Besiktas Plotting a Turkish Homecoming?
Altay Bayindir's frustrating stint at Manchester United could end with a summer move to Besiktas, who see the Turkish keeper as their top target despite a failed January loan bid. With just 13 first-team appearances and no clean sheets in six Premier League starts this season, Bayindir is surplus to requirements behind Andre Onana and Senne Lammens. A return to the Super Lig might reignite his career, as reported by Richard Buxton at FourFourTwo.
Bayindir's United Blues: Besiktas Plotting a Turkish Homecoming?
Picture this: you've landed your dream gig at Manchester United, but instead of starring under the Old Trafford floodlights, you're warming the bench like a forgotten half-time pie. That's the sorry tale of Altay Bayindir, the Turkish keeper who swapped Fenerbahce for the bright lights of the Premier League back in summer 2023. Signed as cover for Andre Onana, he's barely sniffed first-team action.
Over his time at the club under bosses Erik ten Hag and Ruben Amorim, Bayindir racked up a measly 13 senior outings. Ouch. Even when Onana shipped off on loan to Trabzonspor earlier this term, hope flickered – only for deadline-day dart Senne Lammens to slot straight in and shove Bayindir further down the pecking order.
A Peripheral Role That's Wearing Thin
It's like being the understudy in a blockbuster where the lead never gets injured. Bayindir's Premier League stats this season? Just six starts, zero clean sheets, and his last Red Devils appearance was that grim 3-1 loss at Brentford back in September. Since then? Nada. Not even Amorim's exit could drag him off the naughty step.
The 27-year-old's contract runs for another few years (with an option to extend), but he's clearly surplus to requirements. United were even musing a €5 million exit fee in February, which ain't breaking the bank for a club chasing silverware. No wonder he's eyeing the door – and who can blame him?
Internationally, though, Bayindir's keeping busy. He featured in Turkey's World Cup qualifier against Spain – a pulsating 2-2 draw that booked their play-off spot. Under Vincenzo Montella, they thumped Romania in the semis and now face Kosovo in a do-or-die clash for a finals ticket. At least someone's giving him game time.
Besiktas to the Rescue with Super Lig Lure?
Enter stage left: Besiktas, the Istanbul giants sniffing around for a summer swoop. As reported by Richard Buxton at FourFourTwo, the Black Eagles had a loan deal lined up in January, but United slammed the brakes. Now, boss Sergen Yalcin has Bayindir as his top target – ahead of Borussia Dortmund's Salih Ozcan.
A move back to Turkey would be poetic. Bayindir lifted the Turkish Cup with Fenerbahce mere months before his United switch, and Istanbul knows how to treat its keepers right. Sporx reports (via Sport Witness) suggest Besiktas are deadly serious, with Michael Carrick's United lot bracing for his departure from the Theatre of Dreams.
For Bayindir, it'd mean regular football in the cut-throat Super Lig, ditching the frustration of Old Trafford's bench for the passion of Vodafone Park. Imagine the scenes if he seals it – Turkish flags waving, fans chanting his name. United fans? They'll barely notice amid the transfer merry-go-round.
Could This Be the End of the Nightmare?
Let's be honest, mate, Bayindir's United stint has been flatter than a pint left out overnight. Talented shot-stopper? Tick. Loyal squad player? Tick. But first-choice at a club like United? Not while Onana and co. hog the gloves.
If Besiktas stump up the cash, it'll be a win-win. Bayindir gets his career revival; United free up wages and squad space. Keep an eye on this one over summer – it could be the transfer rumour that actually happens. After all, in football, today's benchwarmer is tomorrow's hero... somewhere else.
(Original reporting by Richard Buxton at FourFourTwo)