Besiktas cancel Mondragón move

Besiktas JK rocked the Turkish football community on Friday as they pulled out of a deal to buy Colombian goalkeeper Faryd Mondragón, who was on loan to local rivals Galatasary SK from French side FC Metz.

Mondragón’s 'unwillingness'
According to Besiktas JK’s official website, Mondragón’s “unwillingness” to play for Besiktas and his unstable character caused the club to give up on his transfer.

'Unprofessional behaviour'
“We have given up on his transfer of our own accord,” Besiktas general manager Sinan Engin said. “His unprofessional behaviour has had a big effect on our decision. Finally, our coach Mircea Lucescu has taken the decision to let him go.”

Galatasaray move
Now the player is likely to finalize his permanent move to Turkish champions Galatasaray after spending the 2001/2 season on loan with the club. Currently Galatasaray president Özhan Canaydýn and vice-president Ali Dürüst are in France undertaking negotiations with Metz.

Heightened rivalry
Mondragón performed well in the 1. lig this season and several clubs were interested in him from all across Europe as well as Galatasaray. Since Lucescu moved across Istanbul, Besiktas and Galatasaray have battled over a number of top players, including Galatasaray midfielder Sergen Yalçin who recently signed an initial deal with Besiktas.