Matthäus in Talks with Istanbul

Germany's star national soccer player, Lothar Matthäus, who has been national trainer in Hungary since the start of this year, has confirmed that he is negotiating a possible transfer to the Turkish club Besiktas Istanbul. He told Germany's mass-circulation Bild Zeitung that he met with the Turkish business man, Yildirim Demiroren, in Milan this week. The gas millionaire is tipped as favorite to win the club's ballot for a new president in two weeks time. "He'll get back in touch with me when he's been elected as president," Matthäus told the newspaper. However, Matthäus is adamant he'll stay with the Hungarian team until his contract with them expires in 2005.