Chelsea make €40m wonderkid bid as club president confirms talks

Tom Weber

• 24 Jan 2026 08:01 CST
• 3 min read

Nieuws

Trabzonspor president Ertugrul Dogan has confirmed that transfer talks are taking place for Christ Inao Oulai amid reports that Chelsea have made a €40 million bid for him.

The 19-year-old has emerged as one of the biggest prospects in the Turkish Super Lig this season after joining Trabzonspor from French side Bastia for €5.5m in the summer.

Due to suspension and national team duty, Oulai has only made 11 appearances so far this term, but when he has been on the pitch, he has had a remarkable impact for the the Turkish side.

The central midfielder has contributed two goals and three assists so far and firmly put his name on the map. On Friday, it was reported that Chelsea and Galatasaray are now battling for his signature.

It is claimed that Galatasaray have offered €20m for the Ivorian, while Chelsea are prepared to pay as much as €40m. However, neither bid has been enough to tempt Trabzonspor into a sale. They want at least €50m, as has been confirmed by club president Ertugrul Dogan.

Trabzonspor chief confirms Oulai offers

"We received an offer from Galatasaray," Dogan said during an appearance on A Spor. "It's an important club, but it's not appropriate to name the club. I don't want to discuss this matter, I don't want to get into these details. Trabzonspor's expectation is above €40m.

"They say there's an agreement with Oulai - how is that possible? There's no such thing. Our player has offers from Europe and Turkey. This isn't a bad thing, it's a success. They're talking about €35m-€40m for a player we bought for €5m.

"We have a figure in mind; the reason we buy these players is to resell them. Young players should know that this should grow like a snowball. Young players should think, 'If I go to Trabzonspor, they will value me and I will be able to go to Europe.'

"We want to instill this perception in Europeans. I listen to what our management and coach say. I don't listen to what anyone else says. There is no agreement for Oulai."

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