Besiktas enter race for Fares Ghedjemis as Monaco delay transfer offer

Besiktas have made a formal approach for Frosinone forward Fares Ghedjemis, increasing the pressure on AS Monaco to act if they want to complete the signing of the Algeria international.

Monaco had appeared to be in the strongest position to recruit the 23-year-old, but the French club has yet to submit the offer it had been expected to make. According to L’Equipe, Monaco were planning to propose about €10m to persuade Frosinone to sell Ghedjemis.

The player is understood to have already agreed to a five-season contract with Monaco, giving the Ligue 1 club confidence that a deal could be completed. However, the delay in presenting an official bid has allowed Besiktas to make significant progress in the negotiations.

The Turkish club are reported to have offered Frosinone €11m up front, with a further €3m available in bonuses. That proposal is higher than the figure Monaco had been considering and has changed the balance of the transfer talks.

Besiktas’s intervention could therefore disrupt what had looked like a well-advanced move to the Principality. Monaco’s directors now face the prospect of losing one of their main targets unless they accelerate their efforts and submit a competitive offer to the Italian club.

For Besiktas, the situation provides an opportunity to take advantage of Monaco’s hesitation. The Istanbul club already have a concrete proposal on the table and are seeking to convince Ghedjemis to continue his career in Turkey.

Ghedjemis remains under contract with Frosinone until 30 June 2028. His estimated market value is €7.5m, although the competing offers now being discussed are above that assessment. The Algerian forward’s future has become the subject of a significant transfer battle, as Africafoot previously reported exclusively.

The contest for his signature comes shortly before Frosinone begin their Italian league campaign. The club are due to face Juventus in their opening match of the championship, with the fixture scheduled to take place very soon.

Betting company 1xBet lists Frosinone at odds of 6.20 to win that match. A draw is priced at 4.15, while Juventus are rated as strong favourites at 1.19.

Until now, Monaco had seemed to hold the advantage in the pursuit of Ghedjemis. Besiktas’s bid, however, has introduced a clear alternative for the player and Frosinone, leaving Monaco with an important decision to make as the negotiations enter a more competitive phase.