Italian journalist Fabrizio Romano has reported that an agreement has been reached with Leicester City for Rachid Ghezzal to join Galatasaray in a deal that could be worth up to €8.5 million.
Rachid Ghezzal to Join Galatasaray
Algerian International Set for Turkish Move
Leicester City have reportedly agreed a deal with Turkish club Galatasaray for the transfer of Algerian midfielder Rachid Ghezzal. The player spent the 2020/21 season on loan at Galatasaray’s rivals Besiktas, who wanted to bring the player back on a permanent deal, but it now seems that the Lions have stolen a march in the pursuit for the 29-year-old.
Galatasaray Confirm Talks Have Taken Place
Galatasaray president Burak Elmaz has confirmed that talks have been held between the two clubs over Ghezzal with quotes reported by Turkish-football.com: “Yes we have held negotiations with Ghezzal but we are in talks with several players.”
Besiktas are unhappy, however, with the latest developments and suggested that this was nothing more than an attempt to settle rivals in a transfer pursuit saying that: “Our of all these players they [Galatasaray] decided to obsess over a footballer their rivals wanted. In this kind of market, with the debt problems we all face it is disappointing. Nobody wins from a transfer war, if this is how clubs are going to be run then what is the point.” (Besiktas President Ahmet Nur Cebi)
Ghezzal impressed on loan at Besiktas, helping the team to win the Turkish league and cup double and losing out to their bitter rivals will leave a bad taste in the mouth for those involved with the club. Should the deal be confirmed, Ghezzal can expect a hostile reception playing against his former loan club in the future.
Ghezzal moved to the Premier League in 2018 as a replacement for Riyad Mahrez who left to join Manchester City.
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