There might be interest in signing Yilmaz... and there might not

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·2 August 2026

There might be interest in signing Yilmaz... and there might not

Barış Alper Yilmaz holds off Mark McKenzie of USA at the World Cup last month

(Photo by Fran Santiago/Getty Images)

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Early August and the tantalisingly irritating rattle of the transfer window continues unabated: Who's next? — is the anguished cry of weary yet unsatiated observers.

When reason goes out the window, desperation fills the commentary sections, and every wide player in the Süper Lig is suddenly "on the verge of a sensational Premier League move."

The latest name to be fed into the endless Turkish media rumour generator —and promptly recycled across Everton social media channels and clickbait sites eager for more — is Galatasaray’s Barış Alper Yılmaz.

Naturally, the speculation reached fever pitch over the weekend when resident insider Alan Myers posted one of his trademark, bulletproof non-updates on X (formerly Twitter):

"I’m told there is some truth in the Yilmaz from Galatasaray links, not sure how big the interest is"

Ah, classic Alan. Master of the unfalsifiable transfer claim. It is a masterclass in hedging your bets: there might be interest, or there might just be an agent dropping Everton's name into a Turkish radio interview to squeeze an extra €10k a week out of Galatasaray. If Yilmaz signs, Alan called it; if he stays in Istanbul or joins Monaco, well, Alan did warn us he wasn't sure "how big the interest was."

The Reality Check

Let’s strip away the YouTube compilation music and look at the actual mechanics of this setup:

The Price Tag: Galatasaray are reportedly holding out for upwards of £35M–£40M for the 26-year-old. Unless Farhad Moshiri left a suitcase of unallocated cash under a radiator at Finch Farm, Everton do not simply have £40M lying around to gamble on a player with zero Premier League experience.
The Turkish Transfer Circus: We have been down this road a dozen times before. Every summer, Everton are supposedly "negotiating in Istanbul" for a winger whose agent is merely using our name as leverage. Remember Oumar Niasse? Cenk Tosun? The Süper Lig to Premier League pipeline is littered with cautionary tales, yet every window we act like we’ve discovered the next Ribéry.
The Tactical Fit: Yilmaz is, by all accounts, an energetic, direct running-back-cum-winger whose primary asset is running very fast into channel space. While the squad desperately needs pace and width, paying top-dollar marquee money for a player who recorded 12 goals in 49 appearances in a dominant Turkish side feels like a classic case of paying for potential that won't translate to a rainy Tuesday night in the Premier League.

The Verdict

Could Everton have made a polite inquiry to Yilmaz’s representatives? Sure. Is there "some truth" that his name is on a long list of 50 wide targets somewhere in David Moyes’s famous wallchart? Almost certainly.

But until you see the lad holding up a blue jersey, treat this with the heavy dose of cynicism it deserves. Alan’s tweet isn't confirmation of an impending bid — it’s just a reminder that when it comes to Everton's transfer strategy, "interest" is cheap, but actual signings are painfully hard to come by.

Save your enthusiasm for when the ink is dry.

For those curious to see what all the fuss is about before the inevitable breakdown in negotiations, check out Barış Alper Yılmaz – Explosive Winger. This compilation highlights his direct running style and pace, which could explain why his agent is using Premier League links to inflate his market value.

James Newcombe 2 Posted 02/08/2026 at 09:10:34

He even looks bad on YouTube, I guess we’ll just have to trust the judgement of our brilliant scouting team on this one…

Bob Parrington 3 Posted 02/08/2026 at 09:15:01

We need a striker and rid ourselves of Barry and maybe Beto. Both seem to have 3 legs and don't know which way to go. FFS let's find a striker worth his weight and a RB too.