Galatasaray bolsters squad with stars

News Summary

The Yellow-Reds made headlines internationally by signing Rafael Leao for 38 million euros.

News Details

Galatasaray, the reigning champions of the Trendyol Super Lig, added star names to their squad during the first transfer and registration period. The Yellow-Reds parted ways with several players this summer, most notably Argentine star Mauro Icardi.

Under head coach Okan Buruk, Galatasaray retained key players who contributed significantly to last season's title, including Uğurcan Çakır, Davinson Sanchez, Abdülkerim Bardakcı, Eren Elmalı, Ismail Jakobs, Roland Sallai, Wilfried Singo, İlkay Gündoğan, Lucas Torreira, Gabriel Sara, Mario Lemina, Yunus Akgün, Leroy Sane, Barış Alper Yılmaz, and Victor Osimhen.

Having won their fourth consecutive Super Lig title last season and reached the Round of 16 in the UEFA Champions League, the Yellow-Reds added star players to their roster under the leadership of head coach Okan Buruk to build upon these achievements.

Galatasaray made waves internationally with the transfer of Rafael Leao. Looking to reinforce their attacking line for the UEFA Champions League this season, the Yellow-Reds signed Portuguese winger Leao from Italian side Milan for a transfer fee of 38 million euros. Leao thus became the Yellow-Reds' most expensive signing of this transfer window.

Galatasaray also strengthened their squad with other key players alongside Leao. First, the Yellow-Reds signed French midfielder Lesley Ugochukwu on loan until the end of the season from English side Burnley with a conditional buy option, followed by the transfer of Russian player Aleksey Batrakov from Russian club Lokomotiv Moscow.

After securing Leao, the Yellow-Reds brought in national striker Deniz Gül from Portuguese side Porto. Parting ways with Argentine star Mauro Icardi relieved Galatasaray in terms of both financial cost and the foreign player quota.

Finally, Galatasaray closed the transfer window by signing French footballer El Chadaille Bitshiabu on loan until the end of the season from German side Leipzig.

Galatasaray spent approximately 80 million euros for the 5 players added to their squad during the first transfer and registration period.

Paying 38 million euros for Rafael Leao, 25 million euros for Aleksey Batrakov, and 10 million euros for Deniz Gül, the Yellow-Reds signed Lesley Ugochukwu on loan for approximately 3.5 million euros and El Chadaille Bitshiabu for 2 million euros.

Furthermore, it was announced that the buy option for loaned player Bitshiabu is 28 million euros, while the conditional buy option for Lesley Ugochukwu is approximately 26.2 million euros.

Key Information

• Clubs involved: Galatasaray
• News type: Transfer
• Certainty: The source did not provide a statement regarding the official status of the development.

Source

This news article was compiled using information obtained from Sözcü (published: September 5, 2026 11:19).

Original article: Sözcü