BESIKTAS manager Abdullah Avci has revealed why he decided against signing Saints loanee Mario Lemina.

Lemina ended up joining fellow Turkish side Galatasaray on a season-long loan.

Reports over the summer emerged which suggested that Besiktas were keen on doing a deal for the midfielder, only for them to sign Mohamed Elneny instead.

Discussing Lemina, Avci said: “We looked at him and thought he could be a good player, but we had very limited information about the player. 

“We tried to get some information but at the time, that was very hard.”

Lemina's transfer saga played out for the entire transfer window, with the midfielder desperate to leave Saints.

This saw him take to social media to put out a highlights reel of his best moments, only for eagle-eyed fans to spot that it also included Nathan Redmond.

Galatasaray have the option to buy him permanently next summer.