Nottingham Forest defender greenlights surprise Turkish transfer after collapsed Prem switch

Nottingham Forest defender Joe Worrall has said yes to a move to join Turkish Super Lig side Besiktas, TEAMtalk can reveal.

Worrall was left frustrated by the end of the January transfer window, when Sheffield United abandoned their pursuit of him to sign Mason Holgate on loan from Everton instead.

However, it soon emerged that Worrall could still leave Nottingham Forest, since the transfer window remains open in Turkey.

Because of that, Nottingham Forest were recently able to offload full-back Serge Aurier to Galatasaray, where he has replaced Bayern Munich new boy Sacha Boey.

Worrall has also been tipped for a Turkish transfer, recently being linked with Trabzonspor by some sources.

But before even that speculation, TEAMtalk revealed Besiktas were considering a move for Worrall.

And now, we can confirm he has given the green light for Besiktas to advance with an attempt to sign him.

By joining Besiktas, Worrall would be able to link up with another English player in the shape of former Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Besiktas are currently in the European qualification places of the Turkish Super Lig, but were eliminated from their Europa Conference League group this season.

Worrall set for first venture abroad

Worrall has never played for a club in mainland Europe before. He came through the ranks with Nottingham Forest and endured loan spells with Dagenham & Redbridge and Rangers before eventually becoming captain of his hometown club upon their long-awaited return to the Premier League in 2022.

Overall, Worrall has made 226 appearances for Nottingham Forest, including nine this season.

He started their first five matches of the 2023-24 Premier League campaign, but hasn’t done so since, only being on the bench (whether used or not) or out of the squad altogether since mid-September.

In the FA Cup, he started January’s third-round draw with Blackpool, but had to make do with coming on as a sub in the replay.

At centre-back, Murillo, Willy Boly and Moussa Niakhate have made more appearances than Worrall for Nottingham Forest this season.

Now, Worrall has the opportunity to become the seventh Englishman to ever represent Besiktas.

Before Oxlade-Chamberlain, Les Ferdinand, Rob McDonald, Alan Walsh, Dele Alli and Nathan Redmond all spent time with the Istanbul outfit.

Worrall is still only 27 years old and under contract at the City Ground until 2026, but a new challenge is beckoning for him.

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