Former Arsenal and Liverpool star has contract torn up and could seal Prem return

Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain could soon be back in English football after his contract with Besiktas was terminated. The 31-year-old joined the Super Lig Club two years ago on a free transfer from Liverpool, but was frozen out last season by manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's arrival in January did little to improve his fortunes, and his time at the club was plagued by injury. Fans also grew frustrated with the star this year after initially hailing his signing as a major coup in the summer of 2023. He was reportedly on wages of £2.2million a year in Istanbul, among the top earners at Besiktas.

According to reports in Turkey, the club has now torn up his deal. He made just 18 league appearances last season as Besiktas finished fourth in the top flight, finishing a huge 33 points off champions Galatasaray.

The Southampton youth product also endured the humiliation of being left out of the club's Europa League squad for the second stage of their campaign. Overall, he featured in 50 matches for Besiktas, scoring just five times.

Club chiefs are said to have paid £1.2m in order to release him from his deal. However, Oxlade-Chamberlain still had 12 months to run on his contract, and the pay-off amounts to less than paying the ex-England international's weekly wages for another year.

Oxlade-Chamberlain had been at Liverpool since August 2017, when Jurgen Klopp signed him in a £35m deal from Arsenal. With the Reds, he won the Champions League and Premier League, but his final season was tainted by form and fitness issues.

He is now expected to be linked with Premier League clubs. Besiktas have already turned their attention to his potential replacement, following speculation that they are tracking Jadon Sancho's situation.

The Manchester United forward is currently in talks with Juventus. However, the Serie A club is thought to be concerned about his wage demands.