We are reportedly stepping up our efforts to strengthen the first-team for next season, as two reports in Turkey have claimed Magpie scouts have been in attendance of Besiktas’ recent games to observe Dorukhan Tokoz.
Takvim and Hurriyet both ran stories on Wednesday stating that our scouts have been sent to the BJK Vodafone Park on multiple occasions this season, and were tasked with casting judgment over the 22-year-old.
A final report is due to hit Tyneside in the coming weeks, and should include the 2-cap Turkey international holding three goals and three assists to his name from 18 top-tier games this season, all from the holding midfield role.
The Eskisehir-born ace only joined the Black Eagles in the summer from his local second-tier side Eskisehirspor, but he soon established himself in Senol Gunes’ first-team ahead of experienced midfielders like Tolgay Arslan and Oguzhan Ozyakup.
Tokoz’s efforts during his maiden campaign in Black and White quickly made 5 ft 9 anchor indispensable for Gunes, but the 66-year-old head coach may have to return to his former favourites as Besiktas President Fikret Orman was recently suggested as opening the door for the midfielder to leave, with Fanatik citing a €20million (£17.1m) valuation.
Fanatik also mentioned that West Ham were increasingly keen on Tokoz, and could be a potential destination for the youngster in the summer.
It is worth noting, however, that Takvim and Hurriyet both ran word-for-word identical stories when reporting the attendance of our scouts on Wednesday, so how reliable their claims are remains to be seen.
If they prove to be true, and we have been scouting Tokoz ahead of the summer, much will likely depend on who is at the helm for next season, as while Rafa Benitez may be a fan of the 22-year-old, his potential replacement may not be.
£17.1million would also be an incredible amount for Mike Ashley to splash on a player who may not even feature at St James’ Park, although the chances of him not being a regular would be slim as Tokoz has averaged 3.3 tackles, 2.3 interceptions and 33.3 passes per ninety minutes in the Super Lig this season.