Tottenham & Besiktas target set to stay in Germany

Mainz' midfielder Yunus Malli (L) and Leverkusen's midfielder Lars Bender vie for the ball during the German first division Bundesliga football match between 1 FSV Mainz 05 v Bayer 04 Leverkusen in Mainz, Germany, on April 11, 2015. AFP PHOTO / DANIEL ROLAND RESTRICTIONS - DFL RULES TO LIMIT THE ONLINE USAGE DURING MATCH TIME TO 15 PICTURES PER MATCH. IMAGE SEQUENCES TO SIMULATE VIDEO IS NOT ALLOWED AT ANY TIME. FOR FURTHER QUERIES PLEASE CONTACT DFL DIRECTLY AT + 49 69 650050. (Photo credit should read DANIEL ROLAND/AFP/Getty Images)

Mainz 05 midfielder Yunus Malli will be staying put over the winter transfer window according to sporting director Christian Heidel.

Heidel told the BILD: “Right now it is hard to imagine he will not be a Mainz player on Feb 1.”

The BILD recently reported that Borussia Dortmund and Tottenham are both interested in Malli. Dortmund manager Thomas Tuchel played a key role in developing the 23-year-old midfielder during his time at the club.

Malli has also attracted interested from Beşiktaş and Trabzonspor from the Turkish Super League.

The Turkish international made his debut under the stewardship of Tuchel and has had an impressive season scoring eight goals.

Malli actually represented Germany at U-21 level before switching allegiances to Turkey who he will be playing for in the European championships over the summer.

The promising midfielder was born in Germany but is of Turkish descent like several players in the current Crescent-Stars and German national team setup.

Bayer Leverkusen star Hakan Calhanoglu, Besiktas winger Gokhan Tore and Galatasaray midfielder Hamit Altintop were all born in Germany but represent Turkey.

Arsenal star Mesut Ozil and Liverpool midfielder-come-defender Emre Can are both ethnic Turks in the current Germany national team setup.

See More
7 Barcelona players to have worn the No 7 shirt – The Magnificent 7
Barcelona Player Profile: Arda Turan – The Bearded Genius