The main transfer saga of the summer for Russian fans is finally close to completion - Lokomotiv star Alexei Batrakov is about to sign a contract with Galatasaray. The Turkish champions have a strong squad, combining experienced European football stars with the national team's top young talents. About how the Russian will fit into the “Lions” lineup - in the material of RIA Novosti Sport.
The main goal of Galatasaray
The 21-year-old midfielder “left” Lokomotiv all summer, but at first the media actively wrote about PSG’s interest. Rumors that Batrakov could join Matvey Safonov as part of the reigning Champions League winners first appeared in the fall of 2025, but intensified towards the end of the season. It was reported that the French would pay about 25 million euros for the Russian, but the deal fell through.
After a period of calm, they started talking about Batrakov’s likely departure again. This time Galatasaray came for the young talent. The clubs could not settle the financial details of the deal for a long time, and at some point it seemed that the negotiations had reached a dead end, but everything was resolved. According to the Championship, the Turks will pay Lokomotiv 25 million euros excluding bonuses.
The high-profile transfer has already been announced by Galatasaray president Dursun Ozbek: “We have acquired the main target of our scouting service. Our coach also really liked him. Everyone will see how high-quality a footballer we have acquired.”
The Turks really need a "ten"
How compatible are Galatasaray and Batrakov? At first glance - very much so. It is regrettable that the midfielder did not go to one of the top 5 European leagues, but by the standards of the far from weak Turkish championship, Galatasaray is an absolute giant. The Istanbul team has not given up the championship title since 2022 and regularly plays in the Champions League - last season they even defeated Juventus in the playoffs and beat Liverpool at the league stage.
The team has a whole scattering of stars with experience of winning the Champions League and national championships: Ilkay Gundogan, Leroy Sane, Victor Osimhen... Full of quality foreign players and stars of the Turkish national team. Should you worry about competition? It can never be ruled out, but Batrakov is clearly going to Istanbul as a base - head coach Okan Buruk directly stated the lack of “ten” in the team.
Alexey Batrakov
In the last season of the Turkish championship, Buruk often used Yunus Akgün in the position behind the striker. The 26-year-old Turkish national team player is considered a nominal right winger. The position was covered by both Leroy Sane, who also gravitates to the right flank, and Gundogan, who often acts in conjunction with Lucas Torreira in the supporting zone.
With the arrival of Batrakov, the coach will receive more variety on the flanks, and the Russian should give the team all the basic qualities the “ten” needs. The Loko graduate is a master at finding partners between the lines and is good at making quick decisions under pressure, while he is able to independently carry the ball and complete attacks. Don't forget that at the end of last season, only one player in the RPL scored more goals - Krasnodar forward John Cordoba.
And Batrakov suits Galatasaray’s playing style quite well. The current champions of Turkey play most of their matches in a dominant manner, where the ability to come up with a non-standard move and break open the opponent’s low block is important. And the Russian is no stranger to creativity - last season he completed almost 3 passes per shot on average per 90 minutes. In terms of this indicator, he was second only to Eduard Spertsyan, who had a phenomenal season.
There may be difficulties at the beginning
At the same time, there are fears among Galatasaray fans that Batrakov will not start playing right away. On the club's fan accounts, comments pop up every now and then that Buruk does not particularly favor newcomers, and that the specialist will still continue to put the same Akgün or Gündogan in the “ten” position. There are enough high-quality football players in the “Lions” squad, and Batrakov, of course, will have to prove his worth in training.
