Transfer Market Earthquake! Europe’s Biggest Stars Invade the Süper Lig

Turkey Shakes Up the Transfer Market as Salah, Vlahović, Leão and Lukaku Join the Süper Lig

The transfer window has ended in spectacular fashion in Turkey, where clubs spent more than €300 million to sign some of European football’s biggest names. Overall spending has not yet matched the sums recorded in the continent’s top 5 leagues, but the gap has narrowed considerably. Once the enormous salaries offered to the new arrivals are taken into account, the scale of the spending becomes even more striking.

The rise of the Turkish league has been supported by a system in which football benefits from indirect state funding and a favourable tax regime for players. The tax rate is approximately 20%, well below the 40-50% levels found in countries such as Italy and England. These advantages allow Süper Lig clubs to offer lucrative contracts that are extremely difficult to turn down.

Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray remain the leading title contenders, but the battle no longer appears to be reserved exclusively for the 2 Istanbul rivals. Vincenzo Italiano’s Beşiktaş and Trabzonspor have also emerged as serious challengers after strengthening their squads with elite players. Mohamed Salah, Dušan Vlahović, Rafael Leão and Romelu Lukaku headline an unprecedented recruitment drive.

Mohamed Salah Leaves Liverpool for Trabzonspor

The most sensational move of the summer is Mohamed Salah’s transfer to Trabzonspor. The significance of the deal lies not only in the financial figures involved, but also in the Egyptian forward’s enormous impact on the Premier League. Salah left Liverpool after almost a decade at Anfield, having established himself as one of the most important players in the club’s modern history.

The Egyptian scored 257 goals in 442 appearances for Liverpool. Now 34, he decided in early August to accept both Trabzonspor’s sporting project and the Turkish club’s remarkable financial package.

Salah will earn €10 million plus bonuses in each of the next 2 seasons. His contract also includes a €7 million signing-on bonus, guaranteeing the forward at least €27 million in total. That gives him more than enough reasons to say “Evet, istiyorum” (“Yes, I do”).

Dušan Vlahović Continues His Career at Beşiktaş

Dušan Vlahović found himself in an unexpected position for a 26-year-old striker with 94 Serie A goals to his name. After leaving Juventus, the Serbian international remained without a club for more than a month and a half while waiting for a major offer from one of Europe’s leading leagues.

His Juventus contract expired at the end of June, prompting his representatives to search for a destination capable of offering both an ambitious sporting project and a financial package matching his expectations. Beşiktaş was probably not the striker’s first choice, but by the middle of August it had become the most attractive option available.

The Istanbul club offered him a 3-year contract worth €7.5 million per season. Vlahović therefore had to “settle” for a move to the Süper Lig after the anticipated offers from Europe’s elite leagues failed to materialise.

The transfer reunites him with Vincenzo Italiano, his former coach at Fiorentina. The pair worked together for only 6 months before the striker joined Juventus in January 2022. During that spell, Vlahović produced outstanding numbers, scoring 20 goals in 24 matches. He will now attempt to repay the coach’s faith by scoring goals in the black-and-white shirt of Beşiktaş.

Galatasaray Win the Race for Rafael Leão

Galatasaray pursued Rafael Leão throughout the summer and eventually reached an agreement with AC Milan. The Portuguese forward wanted to play in the Premier League, while the Italian club initially demanded at least €50 million before allowing him to leave.

Lengthy negotiations eventually reduced the transfer fee to €38 million. AC Milan also retained a 20% sell-on clause, which could earn the Italians another significant payment if Leão subsequently leaves Turkey.

AC Milan’s former No. 10 has signed a 4-year contract and will earn €10 million per season plus bonuses. At Galatasaray, the Portuguese star will form a spectacular attacking partnership with Victor Osimhen.

Such a forward line would have appeared almost impossible to imagine only 3 years ago. Galatasaray have nevertheless managed to bring together 2 of the most highly rated attacking players to have featured in Serie A in recent seasons.

Romelu Lukaku Seeks a Fresh Start at Fenerbahçe

Romelu Lukaku has brought a difficult period at Napoli to an end by accepting Fenerbahçe’s offer. The Istanbul club paid €6 million for the Belgian striker, with another €3 million potentially due to the Italian side if the performance-related bonuses included in the agreement are activated.

Big Rom has signed a 1-year contract that includes an option for an extension. The forward will earn approximately €10 million per season, making him one of the highest-paid players in Turkish football.

His main objective will be to put behind him the fitness problems that severely disrupted his final campaign with Napoli. Lukaku made only 7 appearances throughout the season, with his repeated absences sparking considerable discussion and controversy.

Fenerbahçe are the 9th club of the Belgian’s career and the 6th team he has represented in the past 7 years. In Istanbul, the striker hopes to find the stability he has recently lacked and rediscover the match-winning form that defined the peak years of his career.

Turkish Clubs Recruit Heavily From Italy

Vlahović, Leão and Lukaku are the biggest names to arrive from Italian football, but the list of signings from Serie A and Serie B is considerably longer. Beşiktaş have taken Fabio Miretti on loan from Juventus, giving the midfielder an opportunity to play regularly and assume a more prominent role.

Ruslan Malinovskyi has joined Trabzonspor following spells with Atalanta and Genoa. The Ukrainian midfielder leaves Serie A to begin a new chapter in a league where his experience and technical ability could make him a highly influential player.

Eldor Shomurodov will remain at İstanbul Başakşehir. The former Roma forward’s permanent transfer became mandatory after the Turkish side avoided relegation, automatically activating a €2.8 million obligation-to-buy clause.

Adrian Benedyczak has also left Parma to join Kasımpaşa. The Polish striker represents another investment by Turkish clubs in players who are familiar with the demands of Italian football.

The Süper Lig has also attracted 2 players from Serie B. Samsunspor signed 22-year-old defender Gabriele Guarino from Empoli, while Cheikh Niasse joined Gençlerbirliği on loan from Hellas Verona. The agreement also includes an option to make Niasse’s move permanent.

Mason Greenwood Becomes the Summer’s Most Expensive Signing

Although Galatasaray invested heavily in Rafael Leão, the Portuguese forward is not the most expensive Süper Lig signing of the summer. Fenerbahçe surpassed their great rivals by completing the transfer of Mason Greenwood from Olympique Marseille.

The Yellow Canaries paid €39 million for the English forward, €1 million more than Galatasaray spent on Leão. Greenwood had also been a long-term target for AS Roma, but Fenerbahçe’s offer ultimately proved decisive.

Fenerbahçe did not stop after securing Greenwood and Lukaku. İsmail Kartal’s side also signed former Lazio striker Vedat Muriqi for €18 million, while ex-Manchester City defender Nathan Aké arrived for €8.5 million.

These investments have allowed Fenerbahçe to build a squad packed with experience at the highest level while underlining the club’s determination to win the title. The board has delivered a powerful response to Galatasaray’s own spectacular recruitment campaign.

Beşiktaş and Trabzonspor Threaten the Favourites’ Dominance

Beşiktaş have no intention of being mere spectators in the battle between Fenerbahçe and Galatasaray. Vincenzo Italiano’s side invested approximately €50 million to sign Orkun Kökçü from Benfica and Leandro Trossard from Arsenal.

The pair join a project that already includes Dušan Vlahović. The experience and quality of these new arrivals establish Beşiktaş as a genuine third force in the league, with every chance of mounting a title challenge.

Trabzonspor have similar ambitions. After completing the headline-grabbing signing of Mohamed Salah, the club recruited Fabinho to provide experience and balance in midfield. They also strengthened their attack with 22-year-old Franculino, who arrived from Midtjylland.

Trabzonspor’s strategy combines established stars seeking a new challenge with talented young players capable of increasing their value in the Süper Lig. Turkish football therefore enters the new season with international superstars, enormous investment and at least 4 clubs harbouring genuine title ambitions.