Inside Akturkoglu's turmoil: torn between Benfica and Fenerbahçe | OneFootball

Kerem Akturkoglu has been the main topic in the duel between Benfica and Fenerbahçe. The teams competing for a place in the Champions League group stage have been negotiating a possible transfer of the Turkish winger to the José Mourinho-led club for weeks. The player has been living a real drama and intense days.

The Record newspaper revealed what Kerem Akturkoglu's day-to-day life has been like amidst rumors of a possible departure to Fenerbahçe. At the beginning of the week, the national press already gave the deal as practically closed, but in a few hours, everything changed. At the moment, Rui Costa has already closed the door to the Turkish player's departure, who is expected to stay at Benfica.

Fenerbahçe had committed to paying the 25 million euros requested by Rui Costa, however, throughout the week, and due to Akturkoglu's use in the game against Nice, the Turkish club began to back down on the value, which for Benfica, was non-negotiable. The winger was willing to leave, but if the deal fell through, he would have no problem staying at the Luz.

And that's what happened. Before Benfica traveled to Turkey, Kerem Akturkoglu received the information that the deal would hardly be made, and thus, the winger showed a huge desire to face Fenerbahçe in the first leg of the eliminator. Bruno Lage perceived the player's desire and motivation, and also for this reason, promoted him to the starting eleven.

Still, with all his humility, Kerem Akturkoglu made a point of speaking individually with some teammates before the match about his situation and, specifically, about his starting position. According to the same source, the Turk spoke with Schjelderup, the player who, until then, occupied his place in the starting eleven. At the end of the game, the two appeared together in the locker room.

This article was translated into English by Artificial Intelligence. You can read the original version in 🇵🇹 here.