30.08.2026 23:32
Italian agent George Gardi spoke about Rafael Leao's transfer. Saying, "Galatasaray currently has one of the best attacking lines in the world with Osimhen, Sane, and Leao," Gardi also revealed that apart from Galatasaray, other offers were made to new signing Leao from Turkey.
Italian manager George Gardi made statements to the press regarding the process of Galatasaray's new transfer Rafael Leao.
''IT STARTED MORE THAN 3-4 MONTHS AGO'' Stating that the Rafael Leao transfer took place after a very complex and lengthy negotiation process, Gardi said, "Actually, it started more than 3-4 months ago; I was working with the president and the vice president during this transfer negotiation. It wasn't easy because Rafa is a big and top-level player, he spent 7 years at Milan. Getting Leao to agree to leave Milan and come to Galatasaray was a big job. He always loved the idea of coming to Galatasaray. During these months, he rejected many offers, not all of which were reflected in the press. In the end, he very strongly wanted to come here. Of course, there were high offers from other countries. He also received an offer from another Turkish club. A very significant offer also came from the Premier League. So, I think the president and the vice president did a very important job in helping me on the player's side. We also explained to Rafa that he could go and play in the Premier League, but playing here is different. We told him that he would not find the passion, love, and happiness he will see at Galatasaray anywhere else. I think that is what made the difference in the end. The Milan side was not easy either, because they asked for a very high transfer fee for the player. We had to wait until the last week of August to lower the price, otherwise, the price would have been much higher. We completed the negotiation by waiting for the right timing. This is a big thing for Galatasaray, and a big thing for Turkey. Galatasaray currently has one of the best attacking lines in the world with Victor Osimhen, Leroy Sane, and Rafa Leao" he said.
''WE TOLD HIM HE WOULDN'T FIND IT ANYWHERE ELSE'' "We told him that he would not find the love, passion, and happiness he will find at Galatasaray anywhere else"
Stating that English Premier League team Aston Villa was interested in the Portuguese footballer until the last day, Gardi said, "We spoke with the player together with the president and the vice president. Yesterday, we had a final meeting with Rafa together. Of course, since he was a child, his dream was to play in the Premier League. So, when significant figures came from the Premier League, both in terms of salary and the offer made to Milan, as I said before, we explained to him that he would not find the love, passion, and happiness he will find at Galatasaray anywhere else. I think we conveyed this message to him, and he is a player we believe can return to the top of world football here" he said.
"THERE WERE OFFERS FROM A CLUB IN TURKEY'' Gardi, stating that many different teams from many different countries were interested in the 27-year-old footballer, but he preferred to come to Galatasaray, continued his words as follows:
"I don't think it's right to give club names, but there were offers for the player from Italy, from the Premier League, from a club in Turkey, and from other countries. Of course, he is an important player, so many important clubs in Europe came for him and offered higher salaries. So, it was a great success for the club. Together with the president and the vice president, we talked a lot with Rafa in the last two months, and he was convinced to come here. He came convinced that he could win trophies and return to the highest level of football."