The news of his death was announced by Super Lig club Konyaspor, for whom Calik had been playing this season.
Calik joined Konyaspor from Galatasaray in 2020 and wore the number six shirt for the top-flight team.
Newspaper Hurriyet reported Calik's car came off the road between Ankara and Nigde.
Turkish media broadcast footage of a car said to have been the one driven by Calik, lying in a crumpled state in a field.
Konyaspor said: "We are deeply saddened by the loss of our football player Ahmet Calık, who has won the love of our fans and our city since the first day he came to Konyaspor.
"Condolences to all of us, especially to the family of our football player Ahmet Calık."
The club said Calik's burial would take place later on Tuesday after funeral prayers at the Elmadag Sungur Mosque.
He had signed a three-year contract extension in November, after making a positive impact since arriving.
The Turkish Football Federation announced Calik "passed away as a result of a traffic accident".
"May Allah have mercy on the deceased; Our condolences to his family, relatives, Ittifak Holding Konyaspor Club and the Turkish football community," the federation said.
Galatasaray expressed their sorrow, saying it was news that caused "deep sadness".
Former Turkey and Milan boss Terim, who has spent much of his coaching career moving between the Galatasaray and national team hot seats, announced on Monday he had COVID-19.
Terim is currently in his fourth stint in charge of the Super Lig giants, and the 66-year-old wrote via Twitter on Wednesday: "I feel so beautiful and special that I feel every prayer in my heart.
"This is a test for all of us and we will pass this test with your prayers and your good wishes. I'm fine, and I hope I'm going to get better. I thank every one of you in my heart."
Galatasaray sat third in the Turkish top flight when football in the country was put on hold, three points adrift of Trabzonspor and Istanbul Basaksehir after 26 rounds of games.
The defeat marked Spurs' first of their European campaign, and they could drop out of the top eight should results go against them later on Thursday.
Galatasaray took the lead with six minutes on the clock in stunning fashion. Archie Gray's headed clearance was collected by Yunus Akgun, who rifled a left-footed effort into the top corner.
But Spurs drew level through a surprise inclusion in their starting line-up as Will Lankshear notched his first senior goal with a simple finish from Brennan Johnson's cross.
However, after seeing an effort ruled out a minute earlier for offside, Osimhen put the hosts back in front, prodding the ball home after sloppy play from Radu Dragusin.
Osimhen then doubled his tally six minutes before half-time, combining again with Dries Mertens, this time planting the Belgian's teasing delivery beyond Fraser Forster.
It went from bad to worse for Ange Postecoglou's side on the hour-mark when Lankshear was shown a second yellow card for a mistimed challenge on Gabriel Sara.
Hopes of a Spurs comeback were revived in the 69th minute when substitute Dominic Solanke neatly flicked Pedro Porro's cross into the net, but Galatasaray held on for the win.
Data Debrief: Turkish delight
While the score-line suggests a tightly contested affair at Rams Park, Galatasaray were worthy winners against Tottenham.
Okan Buruk's side registered 28 shots compared to Tottenham's five, ending the contest with an expected goals (xG) total of 3.28 to their opponents' 1.87.
But having ended the night on a sour note, Tottenham's Lankshear followed in the footsteps of a former Spurs great.
At 19 years and 201 days, he became Tottenham's youngest goalscorer in a major European since Harry Kane (18 years and 140 days) scored against Shamrock Rovers in the 2011-12 Europa League.
The Uruguay international was substituted during the first half of the defeat after fracturing his tibia and fibula.
Muslera came off his line to make a brilliant save from Milan Skoda, only to suffer the injury as he collided with the Czech forward.
In a statement, Galatasaray said: "Fernando Muslera, who sustained an injury causing bone fractures in his tibia and fibula, is subject to an examination today and will be planned an operation accordingly."
Galatasaray's loss left them in third place, six points adrift of Trabzonspor and Istanbul Basaksehir.
The 25-year-old forward only recently secured a move to Russian club Spartak Moscow last summer from Belgian team Charleroi FC for 8m euros and has a contract until 2026.
The current situation with Russia’s ongoing war in Ukraine, which has led to the club being suspended from all European competition, could see the player being allowed to leave the team.
Initially, the club had expressed an interest in both Mauro Icardi, who was expected to leave PSG, and Andrea Belotti, who left Torino, but either deal materialised. So far this season, Nicholson has played 98 minutes in 3 games but failed to score a goal.
Last season, Nicholson, who played a total of 34 matches with Charleroi and Spartak Moscow jerseys, scored 21 goals and made 7 assists.
Defending champions Galatasaray, Fenerbahce and Besiktas have dominated Turkish football – the three Istanbul giants winning 54 league trophies between them.
But the powerhouse trio were unable to compete with fellow Istanbul outfit Basaksehir this season.
Basaksehir – formed in 1990 – became just the sixth club to win the Super Lig since the league's inception in 1959 thanks to Sunday's victory and second-placed Trabzonspor's 4-3 loss to Konyaspor.
Boasting the likes of former Real Madrid and Manchester City forward Robinho, Gael Clichy, Martin Skrtel and Demba Ba, Okan Buruk's Basaksehir are seven points clear atop the table with one match remaining.
Basaksehir are also on track to meet Premier League giants Manchester United in the Europa League.
The Turkish champions hold a 1-0 lead over Copenhagen heading into the second leg of their last-16 tie, while United defeat LASK 5-0 prior to the coronavirus pandemic.
The Europa League is set to resume next month following the enforced break due to COVID-19.
The 34-year-old only moved to Qatar in December after falling out of favour at Juventus, where he won four Serie A titles and the Coppa Italia on three occasions.
However, Mandzukic announced on Twitter that he had cut short his deal by mutual consent, adding: "I appreciate the trust and hospitality that I have received in Qatar and I wish the best to the club and the team in the future."
A return to Serie A could be a possibility - both ambitious Benevento and Milan have been rumoured as potential destinations - while he has also been linked to Turkish duo Galatasaray and Fenerbahce.
Prior to his successful stint with Juventus, Mandzukic played in the Bundesliga with Bayern Munich - where he won the Champions League in 2013 - and Wolfsburg, as well as spending a season at Atletico Madrid in LaLiga.
Last month, Napoli director Giovanni Manna confirmed Osimhen had requested a move away from the club, who he helped win the Scudetto in 2022-23.
Osimhen was linked with Chelsea and Al-Ahli, yet the Blues were reportedly unwilling to meet his wage demands and the striker was reluctant to move to Saudi Arabia.
It appeared as though Osimhen may have to sit out four months before seeking a move, but Galatasaray have moved to bring him in ahead of the Turkish Super Lig transfer window closing on September 13.
The Istanbul giants will cover the entirety of Osimhen's wages, and there will be a break clause for January present in the deal.
In a statement announcing the move, Galatasaray confirmed they will pay no loan fee for Osimhen, who they said will earn a salary of €6million.
Napoli, meanwhile, have reportedly reached an agreement with Osimhen to lower his release clause from €130million to €80m as they prepare for a future sale.
The Partenopei have also confirmed they now hold an option to extend Osimhen's contract, which runs until 2026, by 12 months to protect his value if they are unable to sell him next year.
Osimhen has scored 65 league goals for Napoli since joining from Lille in 2020, ranking 12th in their all-time Serie A scoring charts.
He netted 15 times during an injury-affected 2023-24 campaign, having scored 26 times as they were crowned champions of Italy for the first time in the post-Diego Maradona era the previous season.
Signe Bruun opened the scoring three minutes into the Group B encounter at the Estadio Alfredo Di Stefano, then Maria Mendez's header gave Madrid a 2-0 half-time lead.
Madrid, who had won one and lost one of their opening two games in the tournament, got a third through Naomie Feller five minutes into the second half, then Caroline Weir made it 4-0 with a brilliant free-kick.
Mendez headed home her second of the encounter shortly after the hour mark, while Oihane Hernandez and Carla Camacho got on the scoresheet late on to complete the rout.
The victory took Madrid second in the Group B standings ahead of Chelsea's trip to Celtic.
Wolfsburg were also convincing victors in Group A, getting off the mark for this season's competition as Rebecka Blomqvist scored a hat-trick in their 5-0 thrashing of Galatasaray.
The Bundesliga side – who failed to pick up a point or score a goal in their opening two matches – had a narrow 1-0 lead at half-time through Joelle Wedemeyer, before Blomqvist took centre-stage in the second period.
She tapped home after Janina Minge struck the crossbar, then added her second goal in the 77th minute and her third six minutes into stoppage time.
Vivien Endemann powered home a fifth for Wolfsburg one minute later, as they provisionally moved within three points of Lyon and Roma ahead of their meeting.
Both Romero and Richarlison were substituted in the second half of a 4-1 victory at Tottenham Hotspur Stadium.
Argentina World Cup winner Romero appeared to hurt his foot in a blow to a Spurs team already missing Micky van de Ven, while Richarlison was injured in creating the third goal for Dominic Solanke.
Neither will feature for Tottenham at Galatasaray in the Europa League on Thursday, but the outlook beyond that is rather more positive for Romero.
"From the weekend, obviously Richy unfortunately injured his hamstring," Ange Postecoglou said. "I'm still getting the final information, but I think he'll be out for a while.
"Romero, I think, is nothing too serious, hopefully. Hopefully, he still has a chance for the weekend [against Ipswich Town]."
Providing a further update on his squad for the Galatasaray match, Postecoglou said: "Timo Werner has been carrying a bit of a groin complaint, which is still there, so he didn't travel, and Mikey Moore picked up a bit of a virus yesterday, so we've left him at home as well.
"I think everyone else who's fit and eligible is here."
Given their injuries, a trip to a talented Galatasaray side might be considered daunting, but Postecoglou is relishing it.
"We're looking forward to it," he said. "It's a fantastic stadium, the supporters create an unbelievable atmosphere here, they love the big European nights.
"They're a very, very good team. It's exactly the kind of games you want to be involved in in Europe. Whether you're young, you're old, irrespective of the role you have, you look forward to it."
Not only is there a question mark over who will be in charge, but United must also freshen up a squad that has once again underperformed this time around.
If reports are accurate, it may well be that two of United's long-term targets end up reuniting at Old Trafford.
TOP STORY – POCHETTINO WANTS KANE TO JOIN HIM AT UNITED
Mauricio Pochettino has long been considered the favourite to take over from Ralf Rangnick should the interim manager, as expected, step aside at the end of the season.
According to the Telegraph, Pochettino wants assurances that he will be financially backed if he leaves Paris Saint-Germain, with Tottenham striker Harry Kane reported to be on his radar.
Kane and Pochettino previously worked together for five and a half years at Tottenham and are said to still remain in contact.
However, Spurs resisted big-money interest from Manchester City for their star player last year and are not expected to budge too much on their valuation in the next window.
ROUND-UP
- Gareth Bale looks increasingly likely to leave Real Madrid when his contract expires later this year. According to one report, from Tuttomercatoweb, the Wales international has reached an agreement to return to Tottenham, where he spent last season on loan.
- Sport claims that Frenkie de Jong has no intention of leaving Barcelona in the next transfer window. The Ajax academy product is rumoured to be a target for Liverpool and Bundesliga champions Bayern Munich.
- Real Madrid have added Arsenal full-back Kieran Tierney to their list of transfer targets, Spanish outlet El Espanol reports. Los Blancos are seeking a replacement for Marcelo, who turns 34 in May and is soon to become a free agent.
- According to transfer expert Ekrem Konur, Brazilian side Flamengo remain in talks to sign Neto from Barcelona on a free contract. The once-capped Brazil international has played second-fiddle to Marc-Andre ter Stegen for the past three seasons.
- Inter midfielder Arturo Vidal is a man in demand ahead of becoming a free agent in July. Calciomercato suggests that Premier League sides Aston Villa and Tottenham, as well as Marseille and Galatasaray, are set to battle it out for his signature.
Yunus Akgun's stunning opener was cancelled out by 19-year-old Will Lankshear's first senior goal for Spurs, before Victor Osimhen's brace put the hosts in control at the break.
Lankshear, however, would be sent off for a second bookable offence on the hour-mark, though Spurs did reduce the deficit through Dominic Solanke with a man less.
Postecoglou named several inexperienced European players in his starting line-up, with 18-year-old's Archie Gray and Lucas Bergvall also starting at Rams Park.
But the Spurs boss believes that his younger players will learn from the experience against Okan Buruk's side.
"Look, Will took his goal well, he worked hard for the team. Obviously, he hasn't had a lot of experience in senior football, so he would have learnt a lot today," Postecoglou said.
"The red card, it was a bit of overenthusiasm at that moment to give away a foul, but he'll learn from that. The same with Lucas. Giving him an understanding of the levels here.
"It is not easy when you are playing away in Europe. You can only allow them to learn that by exposing them to it.
"I thought Archie was great. It was a tough game for us defensively at different times, but I think we'll get so much growth out of him because he's not playing in his position.
"I guess for three teenagers in the starting line-up, I think they'll learn a lot from it, and hopefully it helps with their development."
At 19-years-old and 201 days, Lankshear is now Tottenham’s youngest goalscorer in major European competition since Harry Kane (18-years-old and 140 days) netted against Shamrock Rovers in the 2011-12 UEFA Europa League.
However, he became the third-youngest player to both score and be sent off in a Europa League game after Aleksandar Mitrovic for Partizan Belgrade in November 2012 (18-years-old and 67 days) and Federico Chiesa for Fiorentina in December 2016 (19-years-old and 44 days).
Despite the score-ine, Spurs were comfortably second-best against Galatasaray as they suffered their first defeat in the competition this season.
They faced 28 shots from their opponents, their most in a game under Postecoglou.
It is the most efforts faced by an English team in a Europa League group stage match since Everton faced 39 shots against Wolfsburg in November 2014.
And Postecoglou believes his side only had themselves to blame for the defeat, citing a number of mistakes as their undoing in Turkey.
"I just felt it was self-inflicted. We had real simple solutions out there to keep the ball. It wasn't that hard. We showed it with 10 men," Postecoglou added.
"We just needed to be stronger on the ball and play the kind of football we play every week.
"Maybe it was a little bit the changes I made and the environment and atmosphere, but the moments that stick out to me was giving the ball away.
"We were playing through them quite easily with 10 men but with 11 men we had nowhere near that conviction and that was disappointing."
