Galatasaray Signs Deniz Gul from Porto in Last-Minute Deal

Galatasaray pushed their summer business right up to the wire – and got their man.

Turkish international striker Deniz Gul has completed a move from FC Porto to the Istanbul giants, arriving by private jet at Ataturk Airport on 1 September 2026, just hours before the transfer window closed. The 22-year-old stepped out to a wall of noise, greeted by club officials and a cluster of jubilant supporters who had tracked his flight and turned the terminal into a makeshift welcome party.

The champions have committed heavily. In a statement to the Public Disclosure Platform (KAP), Galatasaray confirmed a total transfer fee of 10 million euros agreed with Porto, with the Portuguese side inserting a 10% sell-on clause into the deal. It is a clear sign Porto still believe there is more value to come from a player they only signed two years ago.

Gul has signed a five-year contract running from the 2026-27 season, locking him in until 2031. He will earn a guaranteed net annual salary of 1.5 million euros, a package that underlines Galatasaray’s view of him as a long-term pillar of their attack rather than a short-term squad piece.

The first glimpse of that connection with the club came before he even left the airport. Fresh off the flight, Gul joined in with a classic Galatasaray chant, leading the fans massed behind the barriers before heading off for his medical examinations. It was a small moment, but it played like a statement: he wanted to belong straight away.

He did not hide his emotions either.

"I'm very happy. I'm very excited," Gul said. "I want to meet the team and our fans as soon as possible. The important thing for me right now is to be here. I'm here now and I'm focused on this."

Born and raised in Stockholm to a Turkish father and Swedish mother, Gul built his game in Sweden’s youth systems before breaking through at Hammarby IF. His goals there pushed him onto the radar of Europe’s scouts and earned him a move to FC Porto in August 2024 on a contract running until 2029, a switch that fast-tracked him into top-level continental football.

His international journey has been just as eventful. Gul first pulled on Sweden’s colours at Under-19 level, but in November 2024 he chose to commit his senior future to Turkey. That decision was rewarded when Vincenzo Montella handed him a call-up for UEFA Nations League fixtures in March 2025, bringing him into the senior setup and marking him out as one of the federation’s key attacking prospects.

Now he comes home to Turkish football with that European experience and a reputation for physical, hard-running centre-forward play. For Galatasaray, who are bracing for another season of juggling domestic expectations with European demands, his arrival is about more than headlines. It is about depth, rotation and the ability to change the rhythm of games from the bench or from the start.

With medical checks completed and paperwork signed off, Gul will go straight into first-team training under the coaching staff. No easing-in period, no slow introduction. The plan is clear: get him up to speed quickly and give the attack a new dimension as they defend their Super Lig crown and look to make a deeper dent in Europe.

The next step is simple and ruthless. Earn that debut. Then prove he is not just another big-name arrival in Istanbul, but a forward capable of shaping Galatasaray’s 2026-27 season.