With almost every week that goes by, more and more information is revealed about Aston Villa’s attempts to bring one of European football’s most promising young strikers to the Premier League.
Brad Friedel, the former Aston Villa goalkeeper, lifted the lid at the start of this month.
Looking back to the summer transfer window, when the legendary USA shot-stopper was working as an advisor to the Besiktas board, Friedel admitted that Aston Villa were ‘really interested’ in Semih Kilicsoy.
The Turkish teen sensation who burst onto the scene with 11 goals in 20 Super Lig starts across 2023/24.
Now, it is the turn of Besiktas president Huseyin Yucel to provide an explanation of his own. An explanation as to why, despite Aston Villa’s best efforts, Kilicsoy continues to hone his talents at the Vodafone Arena.
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Aston Villa made £12.5m bid for Besiktas striker Semih Kilicsoy
Speaking this week, Yucel admits that Aston Villa – via their President of Football Operations, Monchi – submitted two bids. The second coming in at £12.5 million.
Aston Villa were even willing to offer centre-back Diego Carlos and left-sider Alex Moreno as makeweights, while also promising to send Kilicsoy back to Istanbul on loan for the 2024/25 campaign.
However, after much deliberation, Besiktas opted to retain Kilicsoy’s services. Presumably, in the hope that another year’s development would see his reputation, and his price-tag, soar even higher.
“Aston Villa made an offer for Semih Kilicsoy,” Yucel says. “Monchi’s first offer was 12 million euros [£10 million]. Then, it increased to 15 million euros.
“Semih would also play for our team for one year [on loan]. They also asked me whether I wanted Diego Carlos or Alex Moreno. I couldn’t get this accepted.
“[I said] 15 million euros is too little.”
Still only 19, Kilicsoy – like all young players – is likely to endure his fair share of ups and downs.
After falling out of favour somewhat under Giovanni van Bronckhorst – the now departed Giovanni van Bronckhorst – Kilicsoy currently sits on just one Super Lig goal from nine starts.
Yet, TBR understands that Aston Villa remain interested in the Sergio Aguero-obssessed Turkey international. Kilicsoy, who is reportedly valued at around £22 million according to claims from his homeland, is open to a move to English football.
Then again, with Ollie Watkins still Villa’s go-to centre-forward and Jhon Duran improving at a pretty remarkable rate, Kilicsoy is unlikely to find regular starts any easier to come by in the Midlands.
Arsenal and Manchester City keen on Turkey starlet
Agent Murat Teber, meanwhile, confirmed a few months back that Semih Kilicsoy was on the radars of Arsenal and Manchester City, not to mention some of the biggest clubs in both France and Germany.
“I know that clubs such as Bayern Munich, Manchester City, Arsenal, PSG, Monaco, Bayer Leverkusen, Stuttgart are watching Semih,” Teber said. “We received information about this.”
Friedel, meanwhile, would be delighted to see Besiktas’ number nine follow in his claret and blue footsteps. He reveals that a move to Villa Park did not come about during the summer of 2023 due to the Financial Fair Play concerns limiting Unai Emery’s spending power.
“I have acquaintances at Aston Villa. I know they were really interested,” Friedel said. “But Financial Fair Play is really hard there. It wasn’t like I was offered something and I turned it down!
“If Semih had the chance to leave Besiktas in a way that would make him happy, the fans would have wished him success. I’m saying this from my experience at Aston Villa; it is a great club.
“If [a move to Villa Park] happens in the future, I will be very happy.”