Underperforming Turkish Super Lig club Besiktas will look to sign 27-year-old Turkish international Altay Bayindir from Manchester United in the winter transfer window.
According to an update by Turkish journalist Ekrem Konur, Altay Bayindir is the subject of interest from Besiktas. The underperforming Turkish Super Lig giants are keen on reinforcing their first-team squad by signing a goalkeeper in the winter transfer window. So, the 27-year-old Manchester United shot-stopper has emerged as a top target for the Black Eagles.
However, the Turk has no interest in returning to his homeland midway through the 2025/26 season, even though he has become the backup goalkeeper upon Senne Lammens’s impactful start to his Manchester United career.
How has Altay Bayindir fared at Manchester United?
Altay Bayindir has endured a topsy-turvy ride since joining Manchester United from Fenerbahce in a deal worth €5 million in September 2023. While the 27-year-old has shown flashes of brilliance during his sporadic appearances for the Premier League club, those have come in fits and starts. Otherwise, he has been an unreliable presence between the sticks for the Red Devils.
The Turkish international started the 2025/26 season as Manchester United’s first-choice shot-stopper. However, after conceding 11 goals and keeping no clean sheets in six Premier League outings, Bayindir has become the backup goalkeeper, with Senne Lammens usurping him in the pecking order. However, his stock remains high, with Besiktas keen on signing him in the winter transfer window.
Will Bayindir return to Turkiye?
Besiktas’s interest in Altay Bayindir is understandable. The Black Eagles are scouring the market for a goalkeeper heading into the winter transfer window, as Mert Gomuk is in the twilight of his career. Meanwhile, Ersin Destanoglu is the backup shot-stopper, meaning Besiktas must sign a new first-choice goalkeeper.
Bayindir has thus emerged on the underperforming Turkish Super Lig club’s radar, with the Black Eagles identifying him as their top target for the winter transfer window. However, a deal may not materialise, as the 27-year-old Turk is not keen on returning to Turkiye in January.
Despite his status as the backup goalkeeper at Manchester United, Bayindir remains committed to the Premier League. The Red Devils must also keep him at Old Trafford, as they will not have a backup goalkeeper for the second half of the 2025/26 season. So, Besiktas must look elsewhere for a new goalkeeper, with the Turkish international not going anywhere in the winter transfer window.