Galatasaray Deal Blow to Wantaway Stoke City Star After Club President Admits Wage Demands Problem
Galatasaray club president Mustafa Cengiz has dealt Stoke City midfielder Badou Ndiaye a major blow in his bid to re-join the club, after telling a press conference that the club cannot afford to pay his wages.
The 27-year-old has been linked with a move away from the bet365 Stadium since Stoke were relegated from the Premier League, with a move back to former employers Galatasaray mooted, despite Ndiaye only leaving the Türk Telekom Stadium in January.
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However, a move now looks unlikely after club president Cengiz suggested his wage demands would prove to be problematic.
“Ndiaye was earning €390K per year at Osmanlispor just a year ago. We signed him, paid him €2.75m per year. Now he’s at Stoke City, earning closer to €3.5m per year." Cengiz said, as quoted by Sporx.
“If you ask me, this is too much for us to afford. To be honest, we can’t pay those kind of wages and we don’t want to pay those kind of wages. If he wants to come, then he needs to lower his demands.”
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Ndiaye joined the Potters on deadline day in January for a fee of £14 million. The midfielder was an ever-present in a Stoke side that was eventually relegated after 10 seasons in the top flight, scoring once in a 1-1 home draw with Burnley
Galatasaray manager Fatih Terim is believed to be a big admirer of Ndiaye's, with the former Turkey national coach hoping an agreement can still be made between the clubs and the player.
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He faces competition to wrap up his signature though, with Premier League clubs including newly promoted Wolves and Newcastle United thought to be keen on the Senegalese international.
