The midfield player has just 12 months left on his contract at The Hawthorns in the summer, which may be the Baggies’ last opportunity to sign him before his current deal with West Brom expires at the conclusion of the 2024–2025 season.
The giants of Turkey have always been interested. Trabzonspor is just one Süper Lig team that will try to acquire his services during the summer transfer window, as reported earlier this year by the Turkish outlet Sports Digitale. The Express & Star has confirmed this.
Reaction from West Brom to the current Okay Yokuslu move
Yokuslu, who is now representing Turkey at the European Championships, was a player with Trabzonspor from 2015 to 2018, spending 106 games in that span.
Matt Smith, a West Brom supporter for FLW, has pushed the squad to retain at least one of Alex Mowatt or Yokuslu this summer because he feels that his importance to the team is more than the most the club could reasonably obtain for his services from the Turkish giants.
Matt said to Football League World, “I probably think Albion can’t afford to lose both Mowatt and Yokuslu in the same summer.”
“It would probably be too big of a void to fill to replace the two of them if they plan to get promoted this year.
“Obviously, you hope that Mowatt signs a longer contract, but given that we are anxious for him to stay and that he wasn’t wanted a whole year ago, I don’t think it’s his fault that he didn’t sign a new one.
“Yokuslu, who has been with the team both permanently and on loan, has just been a class act for us.
“To be honest, it’s among the top midfield combinations in the Championship.
“Is there a deal that Albion and Trabzonspor are making? He’s thirty and has one year left on his deal, so I suppose it depends on the player.
“A couple of million, let’s say £2 or £3 million, is definitely a reasonable estimate.
We are unable to make many demands at this time. That is not all the value he brings to the squad. Among our best players is him.
“The highest you could possibly receive would be £4 million. You’re looking at spending between £2 million and £4 million on this.
After the Europeans, if the player wishes to return to Turkey? Then, yeah, I do think a deal will be made.
“I think he’s very settled at the club, so I at least hope that he’ll be happy to see out the last year of his contract.”
Okay Yokuslu’s importance to West Brom
The 30-year-old has played for the Baggies in 105 games across all competitions, tallying two assists and five goals. His primary function in a double-pivot is as the deepest midfielder, protecting the backline with his deep positioning and providing defensive stability with his superb game reading.
There’s a good chance he leaves this summer considering his contract status, particularly if a team from his native country offers him a chance to return and play for one of the top teams in the Süper Lig.
Yoksulu has been fantastic for the Baggies. Despite his age, a lot of clubs in Europe should be interested in him because of his disruptive qualities and ability to generate plays from deep, which have enormous potential for a lot of teams.
