Beşiktaş had a serious interest in signing Hrvoje Smolčić, a 25-year-old Croatian center-back, but did not sign him. Smolčić is on loan at Kocaelispor from Eintracht Frankfurt. In addition to the interest from Beşiktaş, concrete offers for the player also came from Italy. The continuity and status the defender has at Kocaelispor were seemingly the deciding factors, as the Turkish club is now close to making his loan move permanent. The Croatia U21 international has made 21 appearances in the Süper Lig this season, scoring one goal and providing one assist. According to reports from April 2026, Kocaelispor has a €2.5 million buyout clause that the club intends to activate. His current market value is estimated by Transfermarkt at €2.00m.