Galatasaray join race to sign Rizespor striker

The Lions are the latest club interested in Vedat Muriqi’s services.

Turkish Super Lig champions Galatasaray have entered the race to sign Caykur Rizespor striker Vedat Muriqi. The Kosovo international had been widely reported to be on his way to Fenerbahce, however, the Turkish champions are now leading the pack to sign the striker.

Muriqi, who is entering the final year of his contract with Caykur Rizespor, is reported to have told his agent that with Galatasaray’s strong interest, he would prefer to play for them instead of their rivals Fenerbahce.

Galatasaray have made an official €3 million offer to sign Muriqi.

Rizespor’s president Hasan Kartal is reported to have initially asked for €7 million but due to the player’s reluctance on remaining with the team and entering the final year of his deal, it’s likely that he will reduce his demands.

Galatasaray’s qualification for the Champions League group stages is a major advantage they offer over all of the other clubs interested in Muriqi, which include Fenerbahce, Celta Vigo, Getafe and Toulouse.

The 25-year-old finished the season as Rizespor’s top scorer, with 17 goals in 34 league appearances.

If the deal goes through, Rizespor will make a massive profit from the sale. The Northeastern club initially signed Muriqi from Genclerbirligi for €400,000 in January 2018.

Interestingly, Rizespor have not made any player sales that involved a transfer fee in the past three seasons. Furthermore, the club has made just two sales involving a transfer fee in the past eleven seasons.