Olympique Marseille midfielder Højbjerg to join Turkish side Besiktas

Olympique de Marseille are negotiating the transfer of Danish midfielder Pierre‑Emile Højbjerg to Turkish club Besiktas. The Turkish side has reportedly offered a fee sufficient to persuade Marseille to release the player, whose salary of €500,000 per month makes him the highest‑paid member of Bruno Genesio’s squad.

Marseille aim to cut the salary burden, saving roughly €6 million a year, as Højbjerg, 31, has seen a dip in performance this season. Earlier interest came from Italian clubs such as AC Milan and Juventus, but Besiktas appears to have taken the lead in negotiations, with talks involving Marseille’s sporting director Stéphane Richard and technical director Grégory Lorenzi.