Besiktas manager Abdullah Avci says the club didn't know enough Mario Lemina to complete a deal this summer.
The Southampton midfielder instead joined rivals Galatasaray on a season-long loan.
Discussing Lemina, Avci said: "We looked at him and thought he could be a good player, but we had very limited information about the player.
"We tried to get some information but at the time, that was very hard."
