Calhanoglu, a key figure for Inter in recent years, was heavily linked with a move to Galatasaray following the Italian club’s defeat to Paris Saint-Germain in the Champions League final. However, Inter’s €45 million (£39m/$52m) asking price proved too high, and the deal collapsed. Fenerbahce also made an attempt to sign the Turkish midfielder, much to the frustration of then-manager Jose Mourinho, who had prioritised reinforcements in other positions. In the end, Fenerbahce too failed to secure his signature.
Koc in an interview to Bild has revealed that Calhanoglu had agreed a move to Fenerbahce, saying: “Several active players, coaches, and representatives told me that Hakan Calhanoglu was available and would perfectly fit the profile we were looking for. So I spoke with Hakan. ‘You’re a Galatasaray fan, but do you still want to move to Fenerbahce?’ He agreed.
“We didn’t discuss numbers, and I asked for his agent’s number. I won’t repeat what he told me because I don’t have permission to do so.”
Playing in a deeper role than usual, Calhanoglu emerged as the heartbeat of Simone Inzaghi’s midfield. He scored 11 goals and provided eight assists across all competitions for Inter last season, positioning the club as contenders for the treble. However, Inter’s hopes unravelled as they were knocked out of the Coppa Italia by arch-rivals AC Milan, lost the Scudetto to Napoli, and suffered a crushing 5-0 defeat to PSG in the Champions League final. Their misery continued when Fluminense eliminated them from the Club World Cup. Following that setback, captain Lautaro Martinez launched a verbal tirade at Calhanoglu, urging players who didn’t want to be at Inter to leave, as he felt the Galatasaray rumors were becoming a distraction.
Calhanoglu, however, committed his future to the club, with his agent Gordon Stipic clarifying: “There were no talks with the clubs mentioned in connection with Hakan. We didn’t have any talks with Fenerbahce. That’s baseless. I can say that we didn’t meet with Galatasaray either.”
Calhanoglu will now look to put the transfer rumours behind him and focus on Inter’s Serie A campaign, as the team aims to bounce back against Sassuolo following their defeat to derby rivals Juventus.
