Galatasaray boss acknowledges summer interest in Stuttgart duo

Bilal El Khannouss was linked with a move away from VfB Stuttgart over the summer, but ultimately stayed with the Bundesliga club.

Speaking to Kicker, Galatasaray director of development Fatih Demireli has now confirmed that the Turkish giants explored a move for the attacking midfielder.

“We had good discussions with him, with VfB Stuttgart and with those around him, but at some point decisions have to be made when it comes to transfers. In the end, we signed Aleksey Batrakov and are very pleased with his development. He has enormous potential, and we want to support him in the best possible way as he continues his journey,” he said.

El Khannouss was not the only VfB Stuttgart player to attract interest from Galatasaray, as Ermedin Demirovic was also on their radar. Like his teammate, however, the striker remained at the Bundesliga club.

“Different opportunities arise over the course of a transfer window. In the end, we consciously opted for other solutions,” Demireli explained, admitting:

“It’s true that we were interested. Many factors come into play in discussions like these. We also had to take into account the squad regulations in Turkey and ultimately made decisions that we, as a club, are convinced by.”

Stuttgart travel to Turkey to face Galatasaray in the Champions League on Tuesday.