Buruk opens up on Calhanoglu attempt: ‘We would have had to spend €45m’

Speaking in a recent interview with Now Spor, Buruk revealed how close Galatasaray were to securing a deal for Inter’s Calhanoglu.
“Hakan was a player we seriously wanted,” Buruk said (via fcinternews.it). “He’s a big fan of Galatasaray. He made a big statement about making a sacrifice in the future. 

“We made another attempt last week, but Inter said they weren’t willing to sell him. They said they would do it if we offered a much higher price than normal. We gave it a go.” 

Buruk went on to reveal that Calhanoglu was prepared to lower his salary demands in order to join Galatasaray, but the negotiations with Inter was where the issue lay. 

“Ilkay (Gundogan) sacrificed his salary, and Hakan would have done the same, but his club had very high expectations,” Buruk claimed. 

“If Inter had sold him to us, we would have had to spend around €40m-€45m. He’s an important player, that’s why a deal for him was difficult for us. 

“There was another attempt last week. Hakan made sacrifices, but Inter said they didn’t want the transfer to happen. The reason why it didn’t happen is because Inter didn’t want to sell him and I don’t think anything will change.”