Sheffield United 'target' effectively issues a 'come and get me' plea to English clubs

Çakır’s statement, published by the Takvim newspaper, sees the 24-year-old follow the time-honoured football code of deliberately stoking interest by refusing to rule-out a switch without explicitly stating you want to leave your present employers.

It is a tactic which has been employed by countless players and managers since the game’s profile exploded thanks to the birth of the internet.

Although United were supposedly the first team from England to enquire about his availability, Liverpool are now said to be leading the race for Çakır while Everton and Newcastle - despite Martin Dubravka’s excellent form of late - have also been mooted as possible destinations if, as seems likely, he leaves Turkey later this summer.

Trabzonspor were on the verge of securing their first Super Lig title since 1984 when the Turkish season was suspended because of the Covid-19 pandemic and Çakır said: “It’s nice to be noticed and followed by great teams.

“But I have goals in Trabzonspor and I want to achieve these goals. My transfer will be spoken about when it comes.”

“We have missed football very much,” he added. “I hope we will move towards our goal (of winning the league, when the season restarts).”

Sadi Tekelioglu, Trabzonspor’s former manager, insists Liverpool have effectively reached an agreement to sign Çakır. However, it remains unclear why someone with serious aspirations of adding to his collection of international caps would be happy to become Alisson Becker’s deputy.

Çakır made the first of his two appearances for Turkey in a friendly against Greece.

Panos Retsos, on-loan at United from Bayer Leverkusen, missed the visitors’ trip to Antalya due to injury.

Chris Wilder, the United manager, is known to be compiling a list of potential replacements for Dean Henderson should Manchester United refuse to allow the youngster to return to South Yorkshire next term.

Talks between the two clubs, aimed at renewing Henderson’s agreement for a second time, began shortly after Christmas.

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