Kobe target Turkey striker Ilhan

The Besiktas forward, who scored the golden goal that took Turkey into the semi-finals of the 2002 World Cup, could be unveiled as a Kobe player in the coming days after agreeing terms, according to the Nikkan Sports.

Ilhan already has a huge fan base in Japan, where he was almost as popular as England captain David Beckham during the World Cup in South Korea and Japan.

The 28-year-old Ilhan’s signing would be a massive coup for Vissel, given a cash injection after being taken over by Crimson Group, operator of Japan’s largest Internet shopping mall ‘Rakuten Ichiba’.