Tottenham & West Ham monitoring Besiktas forward Cyle Larin
By Tom Gott
Exclusive - Tottenham Hotspur and West Ham United are among a number of European sides keeping tabs on Besiktas forward Cyle Larin.
The 26-year-old Canadian is in the midst of the best campaign of his season, racking up 19 goals and chipping in with four assists for the Turkish side to fire them towards their 16th league title.
Larin is set to enter the final 12 months of his contract this summer and Besiktas are working to secure his long-term future, but sources have confirmed to 90min that the forward is aware he is attracting interest from all across the continent.
Among the sides chasing his signature are Spurs, who are on the lookout for another new forward this summer. On top of dealing with all the uncertainty surrounding Harry Kane's future, Daniel Levy is also keen to find a reliable backup forward, with the on-loan Carlos Vinicius set to return to Benfica at the end of the season.
Scouts have identified Larin as a potential candidate for the role, with his ability to play both centrally and out wide working in his favour.
Larin has spent the vast majority of the season as a left winger but has regularly featured as an out-and-out striker, and it was in that central role that the Canada international recently put four goals past fifth-placed Hatayspor in a surprise 7-0 mauling - the second time he has scored four in one game this season.
Spurs are not the only English side chasing Larin's signature. West Ham are understood to have sent scouts to check on the Besiktas man as they look for a new forward to replace Sebastien Haller, who left for Ajax in a deal worth around £20m in January.
Hammers boss David Moyes recently ruled his side out of the race for Chelsea striker Tammy Abraham, whose £40m price tag is seen as too expensive, but Larin is seen as a far-cheaper alternative.
There has also been interest in Larin from Germany and France, and the forward is now understood to be considering all his options.
Besiktas are incredibly keen to keep hold of Larin, who has formed a dominant forward line alongside former Porto hitman Vincent Aboubakar, but they are aware that interest from the Premier League may make their job impossible.