City Football Group announce 'football collaboration' with Istanbul Basaksehir

Manchester City's network of sister clubs has expanded to 13 as their owners, the City Football Group, have announced a 'football collaboration' with Istanbul Basaksehir.

The Turkish club become the 14th team to join the sprawling network of teams under the City Football Group (CFG) umbrella.

Istanbul Basaksehir sit ninth in the Turkish Super Lig but won the title in 2019/20 and have been regulars in Europe since joining the top flight in 2014.

City Football Group will provide 'consultancy' to the club in areas such as strategy, transfers, scouting and coaching.

Istanbul Basaksehir have close links with Turkey's ruling Justice and Development Party, headed up by president Recep Tayyip Erdogan.

The club's president and majority owner, Goksel Gumusdag, is a party member and is married to a niece of Erdogan's wife.

Gumusdag said: 'Istanbul Basaksehir FK has achieved many firsts in Turkish football despite its young age and today, with this collaboration with the leading football group in the world, it marks another milestone for Istanbul Basaksehir and Turkish football.

'From the very beginning, we have reiterated at every opportunity that our vision and goals are different and today underlines this expression again. We are very happy, proud and excited.'

The club was originally founded in 1990 as Istanbul Buyuksehir Belediyespor but rebranded in 2014 and has since gone on to become one of the country's most competitive clubs.

That sees them challenge the traditional 'big three' of Galatasaray, Fenerbache, ad Besiktas.

The City football Group owns, partially owns, or has a link with 14 clubs around the world.

That includes Manchester City, Melbourne FC, New York City FC, Palermo Girona, and Troyes.

'The agreement will see CFG will