Turkish media linking former Premier League star to Sheffield United | OneFootball

According to Turkish news outlet Sabah, Sheffield United are interest in former Liverpool midfielder and current Besiktas player Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain. The 30-year-old is under contract until June 2026, however he wants to return to England as soon as possible.

Oxlade-Chamberlain made a total of 30 appearances across all competitions for Besiktas last season, adding four goals and assist to his name. Nevertheless, the Turkish club are wanting to let the former England international leave this summer.

The 30-year-old has definitely made his mark on the English game throughout his career.

The versatile attacking midfielder contributed to 19 goals in 43 appearances for Southampton back in their League One days. Such form earned him a move to Arsenal where he served up 20 goals and 28 assists in just shy of 200 games. For Liverpool he netted 18 times and provided 15 assists in 146 matches.

As per the report, Besiktas would be willing to let Oxlade-Chamberlain leave at a heavily discounted price, and even a free transfer is a possibility.

This is a questionable rumour to say the least but we have no idea how much money will be available if the proposed takeover gets completed.

The BBC previously reported that the former Arsenal man will earn approximately £2.2 million per season over in Turkey (around £42k per week).

Oxlade-Chamberlain isn’t the first player in Turkey to be linked with a surprise move to Sheffield United. Josh King, now plying his trade for Fenerbahce, was linked with the Blades last summer.

Fenerbahce’s Joshua King (R) fights for the ball with Sevilla’s Loic Bade (L) during the UEFA Europa League last 16 second leg football match between Fenerbahce SK and Sevilla FC at the Fenerbahce Ulker stadium in Istanbul on March 16, 2023. (Photo by OZAN KOSE / AFP) (Photo by OZAN KOSE/AFP via Getty Images)

Sheffield United linked with Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain – A far fetched rumour?

This rumour must be taken with a pinch of salt, but if United were able to secure a big name signing like Oxlade-Chamberlain then it would certainly be a huge statement of intent by the prospective new owners.

We do know that Sheffield United will be fishing in the pond for midfielders this summer, and players such as Lewis O’Brien, Alex Mowatt, Alan Browne and Steven Alzate are far more realistic signings than Oxlade-Chamberlain.

Having said that, last summer we saw another former England star make a surprise move to Luton Town. Ross Barkley took a backwards step transfer to play a season at Kenilworth Road and he impressed that much that Aston Villa have signed him to be an impact player at the very least. There was also rumours that he was thought of among the England ranks because of his form and experience.

Perhaps Oxlade-Chamberlain recognises that a good season in the English leagues would get him a decent Premier League move as well, and a step down to the Championship could pay dividends if his form sky rockets.

One thing that unfortunately remains all too common in Oxlade-Chamberlain’s game is his proneness to injury. Last season he missed around 19 games through injury. The campaign before that he missed 14 games, this is according to the information provided by Transfermarkt.