Lionel Messi to join Galatasaray? Club president reveals,'...we made the transfers we needed'

Galatasaray president Dursun Ozbek has made a shocking claim on being questioned whether the Turkish club will sign Lionel Messi. The Lions have dominated Turkish football in the last few years and have made several high-profile signings.

Galatasaray's recent dominance in transfer market

Galatasaray have won the Turkish Super Lig back-to-back in the last three seasons. They gathered record-breaking 102 points in the 2023-24 season and also secured the Turkish Cup last season.

The Istanbul-based side have done major signings in the last few seasons. They signed players like Mauro Icardi, Wilfried Zaha, Lucas Torreira and Dries Mertens and also broke the Turkish transfer record with the £65 million signing of Victor Osimhen.

Galatasaray Dursun Ozbek's shocking claim

As per Dursun Ozbek, the club can convince Lionel Messi to swap Inter Miami for them. He told Turkish publication Fanatik:

"Did you say Messi? Galatasaray's most successful point is the transfers it has made. We didn't make too many transfers, but we made the transfers we needed, we kept the team. We kept the backbone of the team that became champion three years in a row, especially the whole team. I believe we built a successful team with transfers. We raised the bar very high. We made the highest transfer in the history of Turkish football. Galatasaray's economic level is suitable for these transfers."

He continued:

"We have raised the level of success to a high level, so you can easily ask the Messi question. While doing all this, we have achieved a good financial situation and we are not doing anything that will disrupt this. All the work we do, all of it has to stay within our financial capacity. That's why we have built a good team and hopefully we have goals in Europe. We will do whatever it takes to reach these goals."

Practical chances of Lionel Messi joining Galatasaray

Lionel Messi's chances of joining Galatasaray looks bleak, as he recently penned a multi-year extension with Inter Miami. However, a loan move for four month after the completion of the MLS 2025 season can be possible, as Messi will aim to stay in peak physical condition for the upcoming FIFA World Cup 2026.