Turkish striker Kerem Akturkoglu (Galatasaray) arrived in Lisbon on Monday evening to join Benfica for the 2024/2025 season. The signing at the end of the transfer market is expected to cost SAD coffers around 11 million euros.
The 25-year-old Turkish international flew from Istanbul to Lisbon in the afternoon, landing late at night on a private jet with Rui Pedro Braz. The player will sign a contract for the next four seasons. with Benfica at Lisbon airport, according to reports Record.
The Turk will replace Brazilian David Neres, who moved to Italian club Napoli for 28 million euros (plus two for goals) at the end of last month.
Galatasaray’s exit from the Champions League was decisive for the player to accept the offer of Benfica, who had been keeping an eye on the Turkish international for a long time. Akturkoglu has been one of Gala’s highlights in recent years and a decisive factor in winning the Turkish championship in the 2023/2024 season. In 54 games, he scored 15 goals and made eight assists.
Speed and technique are the characteristics of the right-footed player, who prefers to play on the left flank. The evolution of the former Galatasaray player has been remarkable, as five seasons ago he represented Karacabey Belediyespor, a club in the fourth division of Turkey. Akturkoglu, who is 1.73 m tall and weighs 68 kg, has represented his country 34 times, scoring six goals.