Buruk opens up on Calhanoglu attempt: ‘We would have had to spend €45m’
In the end, Galatasaray concluded an agreement for Ilkay Gundogan instead, and it now seems unlikely that Calhanoglu will leave the Inter before the transfer of the transfer window in Turkey, which will always be open until September 12.
Los Angeles, California – June 11: Hakan Calhanoglu # 20 of the Interazional FC Milano after landing at Los Angeles International Airport for FIFA Club World Cup 2025 on June 11, 2025 in Los Angeles, California. (Photo by Harry How / Getty Images)
Speaking in a recent interview with Now Soft, Buruk revealed how close Galatasaray was to conclude an agreement for Calhanoglu from Inter. “Hakan was a player we seriously wanted,” said Buruk (via FCinternews.it). “He is a big fan of Galatasaray. He made a great statement on the creation of a sacrifice in the future.
“We made another attempt last week, but Inter said that they were not willing to sell it. They said they would do it if we offered a much higher price than normal. We tried.”
Buruk then revealed that Calhanoglu was ready to reduce his salary requests to join Galatasaray, but negotiations with Inter were where the problem was.
EPA12006063 Inter Milan midfielder Hakan Calhanoglu, celebrates the equalizer of the equalizer during the semi-final of the Italian Cup football match between AC Milan and Inter Milan at the Giuseppe Meazza stadium in Milan, Italy, April 02, 2025. EPA-EFE / Daniel DAL ZENNARO
“Ilkay (Gundogan) sacrificed his salary, and Hakan would have done the same, but his club had very high expectations,” said Buruk.
“If we had sold it, we should have spent around 40 million euros at 45 million euros. He is an important player, which is why an agreement for him was difficult for us.
“There was another attempt last week. Hakan made sacrifices, but Inter said that they did not want the transfer to happen. The reason for which it did not happen is because it did not want to sell it and I do not think that nothing changes.”
