Manager urges his player to snub West Ham now and join Tottenham or Liverpool later instead

Galatasaray manager Okan Buruk has reportedly urged one of his star players to snub an interest from West Ham United and to wait for a move to a club like Tottenham Hotspur.

Baris Alper Yilmaz is expected by many to become the next big superstar of Turkish football, with the forward emerging as one of the most potent forwards in the Super Lig over the last 18 months.

The versatile attacker, who can play across the front three, finished last season with a tally of 14 goals and six assists across all competitions for Galatasaray.

It was reported last year that Tottenham are among Yilmaz’s many admirers across Europe, but the Lilywhites have not pressed forward with a move for the Turkish international.

Okan Buruk urges Baris Alper Yilmaz to wait for Tottenham or Liverpool

Yilmaz is thought to be on the radar of West Ham this summer as Graham Potter looks to bolster his attack (CaughtOffside).

However, manager Okan Buruk has reportedly urged the forward to stay at Galatasaray for one more season and look to make a move to a club of the stature of Spurs rather than settling for a move to the London Stadium.

This is according to journalist Ali Naci Kucuk, who told Haber Sarikirmizi: “Mr. Okan said to Baris, ‘The eyes of Europe are on Galatasaray right now, with the moves we have made, play for one more year while there is a target in the Champions League, show yourself better in the showcase and go to higher level teams. Instead of going to West Ham, go to Tottenham Hotspur or go to Liverpool.”

Thomas Frank has hinted what kind of forward Tottenham want

While it does not appear as if Yilmaz is at the forefront of Spurs’ thinking at the moment, Frank has hinted that Spurs are looking to sign a wide-forward.

That may be down to suggestions that Heung-min Son is edging closer to an exit from Tottenham as Los Angeles FC step up their pursuit of the South Korean.

If Tottenham chose to prioritise a wide player over a centre-forward, that also suggests that Richarlison could end up staying at N17.

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