Spartak are continuing to work on strengthening their attack ahead of the start of the new season. After Betis striker Willian José, the Moscow club could sign the Euro 2024 quarter-finalist. The red-and-whites are targeting Galatasaray attacking midfielder Kerem Aktürkoglu.
A story about Spartak newcomer Willian Jose
Spartak’s first transfer with Stankovic! The former Real Madrid player arrived in Russia
In March, Turkish publication Fotospor reported that Spartak made an “impossible to refuse” offer for Aktürkoglu. According to the source, the Moscow club considered the 25-year-old Turk as a replacement for Quincy Promes and was willing to increase the attacking midfielder’s salary by seven to eight times.
In June, Sabah wrote about Akturkoglu’s move to Spartak. According to this publication, in addition to the red-and-whites, Real Sociedad and a club from Saudi Arabia are also competing for Kerem, and Galatasaray wants to earn 10 million euros by selling their midfielder. The decision was planned by the player himself. about the transfer after the end of Euro 2024.
According to Metaratings, Kerem is not against a move to Russia. The Moscow and Turkish clubs still have to resolve a number of nuances before closing the deal. The midfielder’s contract with Galatasaray runs until the summer of 2026.
Akturkoglu’s possible transfer to Spartak was also confirmed by the famous Russian agent German Tkachenko.
“Spartak has a huge transfer budget. I think 50-60-70 million euros is all. They will deny everything now, but I know. Spartak has money. And as far as I understand, one of the brightest players in Turkey, who plays for Galatasaray, Kerem Akturkoglu, could move to Spartak.
“Tomas Amaral and Oleg Malyshev should approach this with responsibility. Maybe it will be for two windows, and for me it is important that they spend it, because the whole league needs a strong Spartak. And it is good that Zenit celebrates its centenary: we have to challenge,” Tkachenko said in an interview with Koment.Show.
Akturkoglu’s main position is winger. He usually plays on the left wing, but has experience playing on the right. In addition, he can play behind the striker. At Euro 2024, Kerem was not the main player for the Turkish national team, but he still scored. In the first round match against Georgia, coming on as a substitute 10 minutes before the end with the score 2:1, Akturkoglu sent the ball into the empty net on a counterattack after goalkeeper Giorgi Mamardashvili ran onto a set piece in the Turkish half. penalty area.
Read about the rising star of Turkish football
Türkiye doesn’t only have Real Madrid super talents. The “new Agüero” has arrived at the Euros!
In the second matchday, Kerem was in the starting line-up for the match against Portugal, but was substituted at the end of the hour with the score 0:3. In the third round match against the Czech Republic and in the round of 16 against Austria, the midfielder came on as a substitute for the last 15 minutes. Overall, he has been playing for the national team since May 2021. In 33 matches he has scored six goals and provided two assists.
Last season in the Turkish Championship, Akturkoglu scored 12 goals (three from penalties) and provided six assists in 37 matches. He is third in the team in terms of goals scored, behind Galatasaray’s main star Mauro Icardi and Dries Mertens. In terms of time played, he is seventh (2479 minutes).
According to statistics, Kerem is second at Galatasaray in accurate crosses (39) and attacking passes (73), he is in the top three in shots (79), successes (29) and dribbles (32). These numbers reflect the strongest qualities of the potential Spartak newcomer. In addition, Akturkoglu scored two goals in six Champions League games last season. He scored against Manchester United both at Old Trafford and in Istanbul. This was the first Champions League in the Turkish midfielder’s career.
Kerem Akturkoglu in Galatasaray
Photo: Michael Regan/Getty Images
Akturkoglu played for Galatasaray for four seasons. In September 2020, the Istanbul club signed him as a free agent. During this time, Kerem got into a couple of memorable scandalous stories. In August 2021, he got into a fight with his Galatasaray teammate Marcao on the pitch. The Brazilian said something to the Turk: he demanded with a gesture that he should shut up. As a result, an angry Marcao dealt the midfielder several blows with his hands and forehead, after which he earned himself a sending off (with an eight-match ban!) and was forced to publicly apologize.
And in May 2024, Akturkoglu started a fight during the warm-up before the derby with Fenerbahce. He did not like the fact that the opposing player Mert Jandas showed the crest on his shirt to the Galatasaray fans. A skirmish between the players ensued, which only prevented a mass brawl thanks to the intervention of security officers.
At Galatasaray, Aktürkoglu has made his ambitions a reality. He joined the Turkish national team from the Istanbul club and has won the championship title with the team in the last two seasons. According to Kerem, he particularly enjoys interacting with Icardi because they are similar in some ways.
“I feel comfortable when I play with Icardi,” Kerem admitted. – Of course, I wouldn’t want to offend other attackers. I get along well with everyone. But Icardi and I have a similar style of play. When I get the ball, he runs after the defenders. When he gets the ball, I run. We understand each other well in this sense, we have developed “chemistry.”
How Türkiye beat Austria at Euro 2024
The best match of the Euro 16! A Saudi Arabian player ruined the playoffs
Perhaps Akturkoglu is now looking for “chemistry” with Willian José at Spartak. Kerem has all the qualities that a great winger should have. If the Turk comes to the RPL motivated, he can be as successful here as his compatriots Gökdeniz Karadeniz, Fatih Tekke or Yusuf Yazici.
Akturkoglu has already scored in Russia. In October 2021, in a Europa League group stage match against Lokomotiv, Kerem struck Marinato Guilherme’s goal. His goal gave Galatasaray a narrow 1-0 victory.
