Galatasaray are interested in Chelsea midfielder John Obi Mikel as they continue to seek alternatives for Liverpool midfielder Lucas Leiva who was on the verge of joining until talks broke down last minute.
Lions sporting director Levent Nazifoglu stated that Mikel is a quality player but also underlined that the club have other options as well.
“Mikel is a quality player and we have been interested but he is not our priority either, we have other players that are being targeted,” he was quoted as saying by Emre Sarigul.
The sporting director only recently revealed that the Istanbul giants were close to signing Lucas until the Liverpool boss Jurgen Klopp pulled the plug on the deal.
The Istanbul giants are planning to forward a £2.58 million offer for the Nigerian international on a three-year deal according to Mynet.
Mikel made 19 Premier League starts and appeared in 33 total matches for Chelsea last season, scoring one goal in the Champions League and making one assist in the BPL.
A transfer would be the end of a 10-year career at Stamford Bridge, during which he helped the team claim the Champions League, Europa League, two Premier League titles, four FA Cup titles and two League Cup titles.
Follow Emre Sarigul @Turkish_Futbol