Besiktas open to selling Tottenham and Crystal Palace target Cenk Tosun for 'serious numbers'

Besiktas forward and mooted Crystal Palace and Tottenham target Cenk Tosun will be allowed to leave the Turkish champions if they receive "serious numbers" and could be on the move in January, according to club president Fekrit Orman.

Tosun helped Besiktas keep hold of the Super Lig title last season and garnered many admirers during a campaign that saw him score 24 goals in 45 matches for the Black and Whites, who are currently five points behind rivals Galatasary in the Super Lig table.

The Turkey international's performances attracted Premier League interest from lowly Crystal Palace, who failed to get a £12.5m deal for the 26-year-old over the line on transfer deadline day, and Tottenham, who reportedly sent scouts to run the rule over the forward last month.

Besiktas would be loath to lose their star striker as they bid to pip frontrunners Galatasary and win the Super Lig for the third year in a row, but the club's president Orman is prepared to sell his prized asset, even though he admits the loss of the former Eintracht Frankfurt youth graduate will weaken his side.

"If the proposals are very serious numbers and we need to sell to benefit the club, we will sell. If the proposals arrive in January, we will sit back and talk," Orman told Haberturk.

"Cenk Tosun is in great shape right now, he also makes a great contribution to us. If we need to at the end of the season we will sell for a big fee. Negredo has not been able to perform how we would like him to. If Cenk leaves, it will be difficult to replace him. This will weaken us."

Tottenham do not seem to need a new centre-forward due to the presence of the wondrous Harry Kane and Fernando Llorente, who has not made a huge impression since joining from Swansea City on deadline day, but Crystal Palace are certainly in need of a new forward, especially with Connor Wickham and Christian Benteke suffering from serious injuries. Palace boss Roy Hodgson had to use Bakary Sako as a makeshift striker in the absence of his striking duo and will have to do the same when his side face Chelsea this weekend.

Tottenham did farm out a misfiring forward to Turkey in the form of Vincent Janssen, who has scored twice in three starts for his new club Fenerbahce, but Tosun is "keen" on going in the opposite direction and becoming an ambassador for Turkish football.

"I am really happy at Besiktas but like [Barcelona's] Arda Turan and [Borussia Dortmund midfielder] Nuri Sahin I want to be an ambassador for Turkey abroad. I am keen on playing in England," Tosun told ESPN.

"I am really pleased with the interest being shown from the Premier League sides mentioned. It really is an honour and we will discuss my future with the club president at the end of the season."