Manchester United legend Ole Gunnar Solskjaer is closing in on a return to management with Turkish giants Besiktas.

On Friday morning, the Istanbul club announced on their website that talks between themselves and the Norwegian had commenced following speculation in the media. The statement explained that negotiations were underway with Solskjaer and the expectation is that he will agree to an 18 month deal.

Besiktas parted ways with their former manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst in November and have been on the lookout for a replacement ever since. They currently sit sixth in the Turkish Super Lig and are also competing in the Europa League alongside United.

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However, they are not currently set to face the Reds in Europe with games against Athletic Bilbao and FC Twente to come before the league phase ends. If the situation in the Europa League remains as is, Besiktas will be crashing out of the competition before the play offs.

They are currently one point off the play off spots. Should they mount a comeback to qualify, there is a good chance that they could face United either in the play offs or the knockout phase.

United currently sit seventh and will qualify automatically for the knockouts if the league stays the same. Since leaving Old Trafford in November 2021, Solskjaer has not held another high profile managerial role.

It is understood he has continued coaching in Norway and he is also a match analyst for UEFA. Solskjaer was sacked after a devastating loss to Watford at Vicarage Road.

He was replaced for the remainder of the season by Ralf Rangnick on an interim basis before Erik ten Hag was appointed his permanent successor in the summer of 2022. Taking over at Besiktas would set Solskjaer on a collision course with former United boss Jose Mourinho, who is in charge at Fenerbahce.