Fenerbahce are set to sign West Ham midfielder Edson Alvarez on loan, talkSPORT understands.
Alvarez was an unused substitute during the Hammers’ 3-0 defeat against Sunderland on Saturday.
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The Mexican player will not continue with West Ham as he is set to join Fenerbahce, where Jose Mourinho is the manager and plans to sign new players.
Alvarez, who joined the Hammers in 2023 from Ajax for £35million, has 73 appearances under his belt for the club across two seasons.
The 27-year-old is lined up to join Fenerbahce as they look to secure a spot in the league phase of this season’s Champions League.
Mourinho’s team advanced to the play-off round after defeating Feyenoord 6-4 in the aggregate, a team coached by the renowned Dutch player Robin van Persie, during the third qualifying round.
The Turkish side slipped to a 2-1 defeat in the first leg but rebounded in impressive fashion with a 5-2 win at home in the second leg.
They will face Portuguese heavyweights Benfica in the play-off round, with the winner progressing to the Champions League.
As for the loser, they will drop into the league phase for the Europa League.
When was Fenerbahce last in the Champions League?
Should Fenerbahce get past Benfica, it would mark their first appearance in the Champions League proper since the 2008/09 campaign.
In previous years, the club was often knocked out in the third qualifying round or the play-offs.
With two Champions League titles under his belt, Mourinho aims to lead his team back to Europe’s top-tier club competition, a feat not achieved by them in almost twenty years.
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The legendary manager evidently believes the signing of Alvarez could go a long way towards doing just that.
Alvarez’s pending arrival would be the latest in what has been a busy summer for the Turkish giants.
Sofyan Amrabat has joined from Fiorentina while tough-tackling centre-back Milan Skriniar arrived from Paris Saint-Germain.
Another player on the move is former Wolves captain Nelson Semedo, who joined the club on a free transfer after his contract with Wolves ended.
Fenerbahce also snapped up enigmatic striker Jhon Duran on loan from Saudi Pro League side Al Nassr.
However, the Colombian hasn’t quite settled into life under Mourinho.
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What happened between Duran and Mourinho?
Rumors of a disagreement between Duran and Mourinho surfaced when the coach allegedly accused the striker of missing pre-season training in Portugal.
But Fenerbahce’s head of communications was quick to shut down any such talk
Alper Yemeniciler clarified, “The comments supposedly made by our head coach, Jose Mourinho, about our player Jhon Duran and reported in foreign media are entirely untrue.”
“Our coach has not made any statements on this matter. Our player arrived in Portugal this [Wednesday] evening to join our team’s Algarve training camp.”
The first leg of Fenerbahce’s Champions League play-off against Benfica takes place on Wednesday with kickoff scheduled for 8pm.
