Galatasaray have been dealt a major setback in their pursuit of Manuel Akanji, with the Manchester City defender rejecting their latest offer.

According to Yağız Sabuncuoğlu, Manuel Akanji has rejected Galatasaray’s latest contract offer. His camp has informed the Turkish club of his demands, making it clear they will not settle for anything less. While the Super Lig outfit have an agreement in place with Manchester City, securing the green light from the player’s end could prove to be difficult.

Akanji made a name for himself at Borussia Dortmund before joining Manchester City in the summer of 2022 in a deal worth £15 million. The Swiss defender has been an important part of their first team over the years. However, he is unlikely to have a prominent role going forward.

Following the arrival of Rayan Ait-Nouri, Josko Gvardiol is expected to feature in central roles going forward. January signing Abdukodir Khusanov is also likely to get some minutes; as a result, Akanji seems to have gone down the pecking order.

With the Swiss international no longer a key part of Guardiola’s plans and his contract expiring in two years, City are open to his departure for the right price. Multiple clubs have been linked with him, but of late, Galatasaray have been the most serious suitor.

Akanji’s potential move to Turkiye

The Turkish giants were in talks with Manchester City for weeks, and after long-drawn negotiations, they managed to reach an agreement with the Premier League outfit. Once they had the green light from the club, they shifted their focus towards striking a deal with Akanji.

Galatasaray tabled an offer to the 30-year-old, but he has turned it down. The proposal was way below his expectations. The player’s camp have informed the Turkish giants about the player’s demands, and they have made it quite clear that he won’t join them unless he gets the wages he wants.

With other top clubs in the mix, the Super Lig giants will have to rush or else they might hand another club the opportunity to hijack the deal, with recent reports linking him with Crystal Palace.