Everton has tabled a €35 million offer for Galatasaray winger Baris Alper Yilmaz, while the Turkish club is holding out for €50 million for the 26-year-old, leaving a €15 million gap that Everton executives traveled to Istanbul in early August to try to close.

The deal on the table

Everton's opening bid of €35 million, roughly £30 million to £35 million, was submitted around August 2, 2026. Galatasaray quickly rejected the offer.

The Turkish club's €50 million valuation would represent a substantial return on investment. Galatasaray signed Yilmaz in July 2021 for a reported €2.1 million. Even at Everton's lower offer, that amounts to roughly a 17-fold return over five years. At Galatasaray's asking price, the return rises to nearly 24-fold.

Yilmaz has 38 caps for the Turkish national team and more than 140 appearances for Galatasaray, with over 30 goals scored. In recent seasons, he has posted double-digit contributions in both goals and assists in the Super Lig, where Galatasaray has been a dominant force domestically and a regular participant in European competition.

Everton's decision to send officials to Istanbul suggests the club is treating the move seriously. The Premier League side appears willing to revise its bid, although the question remains whether it can get close enough to Galatasaray's asking price without paying above what it considers the player's market ceiling. With the summer transfer window set to close later in August, the timeline adds urgency to bridging the valuation gap.

Why the transfer matters for Everton

Born on May 23, 2000, Yilmaz is 26 and in his prime years. That gives Everton the prospect of signing a player at peak output, but it also limits the potential resale upside compared with a younger target who might command a higher fee later.

The pursuit also comes at a pivotal moment for the club. Everton moved into their new Bramley-Moore Dock stadium for the 2025-26 season — the first ground change in over 130 years after leaving Goodison Park, their home since 1892. The club is also operating under new ownership, with the Friedkin Group completing its takeover in late 2024 following years of financial uncertainty under previous majority shareholder Farhad Moshiri. A significant attacking signing would align with the club's broader effort to turn the page and establish itself more comfortably in the Premier League after consecutive seasons fighting against relegation.

What could happen next

A €15 million gap between the bid and the asking price is significant, but not necessarily impossible to bridge. Everton's decision to send executives to Istanbul, rather than only working through intermediaries, indicates a willingness to negotiate directly.

A package worth €42 million to €45 million, with an additional €5 million to €8 million in add-ons, could potentially satisfy both sides.

If a deal is ultimately completed in the €40 million to €45 million range, it would rank among Everton's most expensive signings and represent a major wager that Yilmaz's Super Lig form can translate to Premier League production. With more than 140 club appearances and 38 international caps, the sample size is larger than many transfer gambles.