NTVSpor: Adriano and Besiktas have an agreement in principle

NTVSpor: Adriano and Besiktas have an agreement in principle

The Brazilian full-back Adriano Correia is close to signing for Turkish club Besiktas.

According to 'NTVSpor', an agreement in principle has been reached between the player and the Turkish side.

The publication states that representatives of Besiktas met the player in the Catalan capital early this week. 

However, there is an obstacle that is proving to be problematic for a deal to be finalised.

The 31-year-old Adriano exercised his option to automatically renew his Barcelona deal for one more season last March.

This meant that the player would not be free from June 30, 2016, but would be tied to the club for a further year.

The problem is that Besiktas, having given up on first option Jeremy Mathieu for his elevated cost, are not prepared to pay the Brazilian's release clause, and Barça are not willing to allow the player to leave for free.

Within the Barcelona hierachy, there is a growing annoyance at the player for how he has handled his situation.  

Exercising his option to stay on for a year despite knowing he was not a part of coach Luis Enrique's plans, was not considered to be a very professional decision, and was viewed as based purely on economic reasons.