St. Petersburg football club Zenit is considering the possibility of acquiring the captain of the Turkish midfielder Besiktas Orkuna Kökçü. The newspaper Fanatik reports it.

According to the source, Zenit approached Besiktas with a transfer proposal. The figure offered by the St. Petersburg club reportedly exceeds 30 million euros.

Kökçü is 25 years old; this season he has played 21 games for Besiktas in all competitions and provided three assists. The footballer plays this season for the Istanbul club on loan from Benfica, with whom he won the Portuguese Super Cup in 2023. From 2018 to 2023, Kökçü played for Feyenoord, with whom he won the Dutch championship of the 2022/23 season and was recognized as the country’s best footballer of the year at the end of the season. The midfielder played 46 games for the Turkish national team, scoring three goals and providing nine assists.

It’s time for Russian footballers to step onto the international scene in connection with the return of athletes from other disciplines. This opinion was expressed by the striker of Togliatti “Akron” Artem Dzyuba.

“In general, the Russians have been repatriated in almost half of the disciplines. It’s time to bring us back,” Dzyuba said. — I feel sadder for the kids, the current generation, the young players who have to compete with their European and world peers. And they suffer, they play with each other. With Belarus they go to Thailand and elsewhere.”

“This generation is missing out, I want them to play the Champions League, Europa League, qualifying matches, to feel what it’s like. Because it’s an unforgettable feeling when you play in the European arena,” Dzyuba added.

On 11 December the Executive Committee of the International Olympic Committee (THAT IS) recommended that sports federations allow Russian and Belarusian athletes to participate in youth competitions with the flag and anthem. At the same time, in the statement THAT IS It is underlined that the recommendations of March 28, 2023 on the participation of adult athletes from Russia and Belarus remain in force and will be revised if necessary.