Galatasaray dismisses Icardi's comeback before Barça
Mauro Icardi remains without a team after terminating his contract with Galatasaray on June 30, and while the press was speculating about a possible return to Istanbul, the president of the club, Dursun Özbek, has dismissed that option today and announced a farewell.
According to EFE, the club presented an offer for Icardi to stay, but the striker demanded conditions that exceeded the economic and sporting reality of the team.
Özbek explained that the main obstacle was not only financial; Galatasaray already has Victor Osimhen as a centre‑forward and it is difficult to integrate both into the same project.
“The problem was how the two would play and which one to use,” the president said.
The reports that suggested Icardi would accept reducing his demands emerged before the president's statement. The Argentine played 134 matches, scored 77 goals and provided 25 assists in his four seasons in Istanbul, as well as winning four league titles.
Pending farewell
Galatasaray now awaits the response of Icardi to arrange a farewell ceremony, and the president reiterated that the striker is an icon of the club, and the contribution of the striker turned a generation of fans into supporters.
The protagonists mentioned are Galatasaray, Barça, EFE, Gabriel Sans, Mauro Icardi and Dursun Özbek.