Galatasaray president Dursun Özbek claimed that his club’s financial structure would allow for the sensational arrival of Lionel Messi this winter without definitively backing this proposed move.
Spurious rumors linking Inter Miami’s captain with a January exit have bubbled away in recent weeks as the end of the MLS season beckons. The prospect of Messi going without any competitive soccer for the best part of two months before the 2026 season starts up again in February has raised some concerns about the 38-year-old’s physical condition coming into June’s World Cup.
After plenty of non-committal statements, Messi has belatedly accepted that he will help Argentina defend their title this summer. The talismanic forward has also penned a new three-year contract with Inter Miami but a short-term loan back to Europe could theoretically be on the table.
Inter Miami co-owner David Beckham infamously adopted this approach while at the LA Galaxy, spending the first six months of 2010 at AC Milan ahead of that summer’s World Cup. Turkish giants Galatasaray have been floated as a potential destination for Messi this winter to keep himself sharp.
What had seemingly emerged as nothing more than fanciful whispers was given an extra layer of credibility by the response from Galatasaray president Özbek. When asked about these rumors at last week’s Bosphorus Sports Summit, the 76-year-old said: “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. We have raised the level of success to a high level, so you can easily ask the Messi question.”
Gala top their domestic league and are vying for a spot in the top eight of the Champions League’s league phase table. The dominant outfit showed off the financial heft of which Özbek is so proud by signing Victor Osimhen for a record-shattering €75 million ($86.8 million) this summer.
“While doing all this, we have achieved a good financial situation and we are not doing anything that will disrupt this,” Özbek added. “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.”
