“He’s a great player, but I heard he’s close to joining Galatasaray” - Jose Mourinho admits Fenerbahce could miss out on Portuguese star to rivals
Fenerbahce boss Jose Mourinho is seemingly resigned to missing out on his compatriot Rafa Silva to his domestic rivals Galatarasaray. The Portuguese striker is coming off a superb last season with Benfica.
Silva bagged an impressive haul of 22 goals and 15 assists in 52 games across competitions. Most of those goal contributions - 14 goals and 12 asists in 30 games - came in the Primeira Liga, where Benfica finished second, 10 points behind winners Sporting CP.
However, with his deal expiring at the end of the season and an extension not seemingly imminent, Silva has been the subject of interest of Turkish giants Fenerbahce and Galatasaray.
As per new Fenerbahce boss Mourinho, though, Silva is seemingly close to joining Galatasaray, telling RTP Portugal (as per transfer guru Fabrizio Romano):
“Rafa Silva to Fenerbahçe? He’s a great player, but I heard he’s close to joining Galatasaray."
Silva has been a solid performer for the Portuguese giants since his first-team debut in the 2016-17 season, bagging 94 goals and 79 assists in 326 games across competitions.
What did Jose Mourinho say on joining Fenerbahce?
Legendary Portugese manager Jose Mourinho is outside Europe's top-five leagues for the first time in two decades since moving from Porto to Chelsea in the summer of 2004.
Shortly after commenting on the UEFA Champions League final between Real Madrid and Borussia Dortmund, the former Los Blancos boss was unveiled as the new Fenerbahce manager.
As uploaded by the club on their X handle, Mourinho said in a short video:
“Merhaba (Hello) Fenerbahce fans! See you tomorrow at Kadikoy, and let’s start our journey together.”
As per ESPN, he's set to earn nearly €11 million annually at the Turkish giants, who are seeking their first league title since 2014. Last season, Fenerbahce finished three points behind Galatasaray (102) in a titanic title race.
Having managed top clubs like Chelsea, Real Madrid, Manchester United and Inter Milan, Mourinho is looking to win the league title in a fifth different country.