Ernest Poku joins Beşiktaş on loan from Bayer Leverkusen
Beşiktaş have completed the loan signing of attacker Ernest Poku from Bayer Leverkusen, with the move confirmed on 26 August 2026.
The switch takes Poku away from the Bundesliga side for the season ahead, as he links up with his new team-mates in Turkey.
A busy 2025
Poku was a regular fixture across multiple competitions last year, making 55 competitive appearances in total and totalling 3,031 minutes on the pitch.
The bulk of his football came in Bayer Leverkusen colours, where he featured 29 times in the Bundesliga and a further 12 times in the UEFA Champions League, also contributing four DFB Pokal outings. He added seven goals across all competitions during that period.
Earlier in the year he also had a short spell with AZ Alkmaar, appearing twice in the UEFA Europa Conference League and once in the Eredivisie, while also representing Netherlands U21 in both the UEFA U21 Championship and its qualifying rounds.
What it means for Beşiktaş
With the new season already three matchdays old, Poku arrives as an attacking option who has shown he can handle a heavy workload across league, cup and continental football.
His versatility across competitions and age-group football for Netherlands U21 suggests he could slot into Beşiktaş's attacking plans as the campaign develops.