Report: Fenerbahçe eye Iheanacho, but Bursaspor chief wants big fee

Super Eagles striker Kelechi Iheanacho is reported to be on Fenerbahçe's radar for January, but Bursaspor president Enes Çelik says the club would sell only for a figure that makes it worth their while.

The interest was reported by Turkish journalist Ahmet Selim Kul, as cited by Transfermarkt and relayed by Afrik-Foot. It remains a report, not a confirmed approach. Fenerbahçe's foreign-player quota is full, so they would first need to free a space.

Iheanacho, 30, joined second-tier Bursaspor as a free agent from Celtic in the summer. He has 16 goals and 3 assists in 12 league appearances and has scored in every game he has played, a 12-match streak that is a record in Turkish league football. Bursaspor lead the 1. Lig with 28 points from 12 matches. The club is also in talks with another Nigerian, Henry Onyekuru.

Çelik: ‘He does not want to leave us'

Çelik, in comments reported by Afrik-Foot, made clear Bursaspor are in no mood to sell cheaply.

“If a poll were held, I am certain that 99% of the people would vote for him not to be sold.”

He added: “He does not want to leave us, but he knows how football works.” The president said the fee “would have to be a figure that makes it worth it for us”. Iheanacho's contract runs until June 2029, so Bursaspor are under no pressure to sell.

Analysis: Why a move is harder than the headlines suggest

Three things stand between Iheanacho and Fenerbahçe. The quota problem is Fenerbahçe's to solve, the price is Bursaspor's to set, and the competition for places is real: Fenerbahçe already have attackers such as Vedat Muriqi, Kerem Aktürkoglu and Romelu Lukaku, so Iheanacho would have to earn a role.

The upside is clear. A switch would give him his first Champions League football since 2017, as Fenerbahçe are in this season's league phase. For now, the likelier story is a striker extending his streak for the league leaders while the January window approaches. His Nigeria place is a separate question, covered in our look at the Group L table before Tanzania.