Everton bids €35M for Galatasaray winger as Premier League club hunts value in Turkish market

Everton has tabled a €35 million offer for Galatasaray winger Baris Alper Yilmaz, and Galatasaray has responded with the football equivalent of “new phone, who dis.” The Turkish giants want €50 million for the 26-year-old, leaving a €15 million gap that Everton executives flew to Istanbul in early August to try to close.

The deal on the table

Everton’s opening bid of €35 million, roughly £30-35 million, landed around August 2, 2026. Galatasaray wasted little time rejecting it.

The Turkish club’s €50 million asking price represents a staggering return on investment. They signed Yilmaz in July 2021 for a reported €2.1 million. Even at Everton’s lower offer, that’s roughly a 17x return in five years. At Galatasaray’s asking price, it balloons to nearly 24x.

Yilmaz has earned 38 caps for the Turkish national team and has racked up over 140 appearances for Galatasaray, scoring more than 30 goals. His recent seasons have featured double-digit contributions in both goals and assists in the Super Lig.

Everton officials making the trip to Istanbul signals this isn’t a casual inquiry. The club is serious about revising its bid, though the question remains whether they can get close enough to Galatasaray’s number without overpaying relative to the player’s market ceiling.

Why this matters for Everton’s financial playbook

Yilmaz, born May 23, 2000, is 26. That puts him squarely in his prime years, which cuts both ways. On one hand, Everton would be buying a player at peak output. On the other, there’s less upside for resale value compared to signing a 21-year-old with a longer trajectory ahead.

The valuation gap and what comes next

A €15 million gap between bid and asking price is substantial but not insurmountable. The fact that Everton sent executives to Istanbul rather than simply submitting a revised bid through intermediaries suggests they’re prepared to negotiate in good faith. A headline fee of €42-45 million with €5-8 million in add-ons could theoretically satisfy both parties.

If a deal does materialize in the €40-45 million range, it would rank among Everton’s most expensive signings ever, a bet that Yilmaz’s Super Lig form translates to Premier League production. With over 140 appearances and 38 international caps, the sample size is larger than most transfer gambles.

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