Ex-Liverpool ace Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain holds talks with club president in London hotel
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain may have already found his next club after leaving Liverpool in June, as the midfielder met the president of Besiktas in a London hotel on Wednesday.
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Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain has held talks with Besiktas to discuss a possible move to join the Turkish giants after leaving Liverpool as a free agent this summer. The former Reds star has received offers from several clubs and is currently weighing up his options as he prepares to pick his next club, with interest also emanating from the Premier League and Saudi Arabia.
Express Sport understands Oxlade-Chamberlain travelled to London on Wednesday for talks with Besiktas president Ahmet Nur Cebi after holding preliminary discussions earlier this month.
The 29-year-old was released by Liverpool after spending six years at Anfield, with recurring injury problems robbing the 35-cap England international of his prime years.
Oxlade-Chamberlain scored 18 goals in 146 games for the Merseyside club, but a third of those appearances came in his first season alone, and he has been exploring a potential move abroad after he learned the club had decided not to offer him a new contract.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: The free agent has held talks with Besiktas. (Image: Getty)
The pair were joined by his representatives at a hotel in London as Nur Cebi offered a proposal to the midfielder, who is keen to continue playing at the highest level.
They are prepared to make him their highest-paid player in order to lure him to the Super Lig and Oxlade-Chamberlain will give serious thought to their offer.
Besiktas have made a habit of signing players from English clubs in recent years, with Dele Alli, Nathan Redmond and Cenk Tosun all heading to join the Istanbul club.
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But the Super Lig giants will face competition to land the attacking midfielder, who began his career at Southampton before moving to Arsenal as a teenager, with several clubs in the running to snap him up on a free transfer.
Aston Villa and Brentford have both been linked with making a move, with The Mirror claiming the Bees are ready to hand him a one-year contract - similar to what Christian Eriksen was given after his return to football.
Saudi Pro League clubs are prepared to pay him an eye-watering salary to convince him to move to the Arabian Gulf. They see his potential signing as a coup to add to the dozen of new signings from the Premier League, given that Oxlade-Chamberlain has won the Premier League and Champions League.
Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain: The midfielder left after six years at Anfield. (Image: Getty)
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When addressing his Liverpool exit, Oxlade-Chamberlain made it clear his priority is to play regularly after spending the past two years limited to a bit-part role under Jurgen Klopp.
"I still want success, I've had a taste of it here, they've been the best years ever," he said in May. "So, if by any chance, I can have another sniff of achieving anything like that again then I'd bite your hand off.
"I think I need to go and play somewhere as consistently as possible. They say you're coming into your peak at 29, so I want to go and test myself, play consistently somewhere."
"I'm still hungry, I still feel I have a lot of games left in me and a lot of energy left in me. I don't like to say a point to prove, but that's always been my attitude."