Galatasaray's rival Fenerbahçe offered to pay a transfer fee of 15 million euros for the young midfielder before the beginning of the Turkish first division Turkcell Super League this year, but the Lions turned down the offer.
Galatasaray's new player, Brazilian midfielder Elano Blumer, who joined the team from Manchester City, and Fenerbahçe's Spanish striker Daniel Guiza, signed from Mallorca in 2008, followed Arda Turan with 12.5 million euro transfer fees. The total value of teams in Turkcell Super League reached 762.9 million euros this season. Fenerbahçe has become the most valuable team in the league with a squad worth around 118.8 million euros. Galatasaray is ranked second with a squad value of 117.9 million euros, while Beşiktaş is third with a value of 100.4 million euros. Meanwhile, a study has shown that Turkish first division brings together 153 foreign football players from 51 countries. Brazil is Turkey's biggest footballer exporter, with 30 Brazilian nationals playing in Turkey. Germany has 11 players in Turkey, while Argentina and Cameroon have nine players each.
