Fenerbahce has emerged victorious in the race to sign Paris Saint-Germain’s (PSG) Slovakian defender, Milan Skriniar, beating out arch-rival Galatasaray. 29-year-old center-back is on his way to Istanbul to finalize transfer negotiations with the Yellow Canaries.
In an X post on Wednesday, Fenerbahce announced, “Milan Skriniar is coming to Istanbul for further negotiations as part of our A Team’s mid-season transfers for the 2024-2025 season.”
According to famous sports journalist Fabrizio Romano, Fenerbahce has reached a verbal agreement to sign Slovak defender Milan Skriniar on a permanent deal as PSG rejected the loan offers made by other clubs.
Galatasaray, the arch-rival of Fenerbahce, had shown strong interest in signing Milan Skriniar since the start of the winter transfer window. However, according to Turkish media reports, PSG deemed Galatasaray’s loan offer with a buy option insufficient. Additionally, the Slovakian defender was not inclined to join Galatasaray, as he considered the yellow-red club’s salary proposal inadequate.
Meanwhile, Fenerbahce announced the signing of another central defender, 31-year-old Brazilian Diego Carlos, from Premier League side Aston Villa on Wednesday.
It remains uncertain whether Skriniar or Carlos will be available to play against Olympique Lyonnais on Thursday in the seventh-week match of the UEFA Europa League group stage.
In the Turkish Super League, Fenerbahçe currently trails Galatasaray by six points in the championship race, with 45 points from 19 matches played.
