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Following a spectacular summer transfer window for Turkish football, Transfermarkt has updated the market values of 285 players competing in the Süper Lig. After completing his permanent transfer from Napoli to Galatasaray, Nigerian star striker Victor Osimhen remains the most valuable player in the Turkish first division. In fact, Osimhen managed a small upgrade from €70 million to €75m, with his market value now reflecting the fee Gala paid for the player.
“He moved for €75m despite having just one year left on his contract, which is an incredible amount of money and a transfer record in Türkiye,” Türkiye Area Manager Lara Karacan said when asked about Osimhen’s market value update. “Past behaviour, however, highlights that Turkish clubs aren’t exactly willing to pay bargain prices and often pay big fees even if the player is on a short-term deal. As such, we have to take the amount of time left on his contract with a grain of salt. His market value is also influenced by the loss of status that comes with leaving a top-five league. As a result, his market value will top out at €75m.”
Osimhen remains the most valuable player in Turkish football by a significant margin. Second in the list is Fenerbahçe’s Colombian star striker Jhon Durán. On loan from Saudi Pro League side Al-Nassr, Durán remains unchanged at €35m. There is, however, some movement behind Osimhen and Durán in the top ranking. Orkun Kökçu from Besiktas moves to third place despite a small market value drop of €2m to €28m. However, due to the ups and downs at Galatasaray, Kökçu now has to share that spot with another player.
Türkiye market values: Singo up – Former Bayern star Sané drops
That player is Wilfried Singo. The 24-year-old defender joined Galatasaray for €30.8m from Monaco this summer. “Behind Osimhen, Singo is Galatasaray’s record transfer,” Karacan said. “The €30m transfer fee was above his market value. However, since he transitioned from a top-five league to the Süper Lig, we decided to increase his market value while keeping it below the transfer fee paid. We feel that €28m is justified.” Even then, Singo saw his market value increase by €3m from its previous €25m.
No longer second in market value is another Gala star: Leroy Sané. “Sané’s transfer to Galatasaray was a surprise as it was expected that he would either renew his contract at Bayern Munich or join a club in the Premier League,” Karacan said. “Instead, he opted to take a more lucrative deal in Türkiye. His first few games for Galatasaray were a bit disappointing. As he is getting older—he will soon be 30—a drop in market value was inevitable.” Previously ranked second in the Süper Lig with a market value of €32m, Sané dropped by 21.9% to now €25m, which sees him rank just outside the top three most valuable players.
Another player, who moved from a top-five league to Türkiye, is Man United’s goalkeeper André Onana. “Before his transfer to Trabzonspor, Onana already lost his no.1 spot at Manchester United to Altay Bayındır,” Karacan said. “No other club was willing to sign him. After losing Uğurcan Çakır to Galatasaray, Trabzonspor were under pressure to sign a goalkeeper, and in Onana, they found a good short-term solution. Despite some good performances in his first few games, his market value will likely drop. First, due to a clear decline in status and market value, and second, due to the lack of international football. Second, he is getting older, and that needs to be considered as well.” Onana saw his market value drop by €5m from €25m to €20m.
How Transfermarkt market values work
The Transfermarkt market values are calculated, taking into account various pricing models. A major factor is the Transfermarkt community, whose members discuss and evaluate player market values in detail. In general, the Transfermarkt market values are not to be equated with transfer fees.
The goal is not to predict a price but an expected value of a player in a free market. Both individual transfer modalities and situational conditions are relevant in determining market values. Examples of this are listed below. Transfermarkt does not use an algorithm (you can find the detailed market value definition here).
