Ole Gunnar Solskjaer could turn to a former Manchester United player as one of his first signings from new club Besiktas.
The Norwegian has returned to management after a break of more than three years, in his first job since leaving the Old Trafford dugout in 2021.
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Besiktas have chosen the Man United legend as the man to lead the 16-time Turkish Süper Lig champions back to the top.
They currently sit sixth in the table, a whopping 20 points behind current leaders Galatasaray, but Solskjaer will be hoping to bolster an already talented squad to reduce the gap and make Besiktas a challenger again.
The Istanbul giants have some familiar faces including former England, Arsenal and Liverpool midfielder Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain, former Arsenal defender Gabriel Paulista and Portuguese star Gedson Fernandes, who previously spent a season on loan at Tottenham.
They also feature former Lazio striker Ciro Immobile, who is still going strong at the age of 34 and is the club’s top scorer this season with 14 goals.
He scored two goals in a 5-0 win over Galatasaray earlier in the season as Besiktas won the Turkish Super Cup.
But now Solskjaer will turn his attention to improving his new team. He is reportedly interested in reuniting with Welsh striker Tom Lawrence.
The 31-year-old has reached the final six months of his contract with Rangers and can discuss pre-contractual arrangements with foreign clubs to pave the way for a summer move.
However, journalist Fabrizio Romano reports that a change is possible in January.
With the race for the Scottish Premiership title already over – Celtic have a 13-point lead over the Gers at the top of the table – it is believed the Ibrox team will not stand in the way of Lawrence’s departure this month.
Solskjaer trained Lawrence in the Man United academy at the start of his career.
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He left the Red Devils with just one senior appearance in 2014 and moved to Leicester. He has since played for Derby County – spending five years at Pride Park, where he was named captain – and Rangers, where he has been since 2022, alongside various loan spells.
The 23-time Wales international has played just eight league games this season after missing six weeks in November. He is now back in contention but has not played since recovering from injury.
Lawrence could be the first of many new signings for new coach Solskjaer, who expressed his enthusiasm for the new challenge when he landed in Turkey this week.
He also added that he has already had discussions with the club’s board where transfers are likely to be on the agenda.
Besiktas have also been linked with an interest in Fulham’s Adama Traore, Barcelona star Ansu Fati and former Tottenham winger Marcus Edwards, who is set to join from Sporting Lisbon in January.
“It’s great to be here, it’s very nice to see that so many people are interested in this fantastic club,” Solskjaer told press representatives outside Istanbul’s Ataturk Airport.
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“It was a very nice first meeting for me with the board members here and I’m really looking forward to it.
“It’s fantastic to be in this beautiful city.”