Galatasaray Face Transfer Battle as Arsenal and Liverpool Scout Aleksey Batrakov

Arsenal and Liverpool are stepping up their interest in Galatasaray playmaker Aleksey Batrakov, with scouts from both clubs watching him in Europe this week.

The 21-year-old Russian attacker has made a fast start in Turkey since leaving boyhood club Lokomotiv Moscow in the summer. Officials from the two Premier League sides travelled to northern France on Wednesday night and saw him score in Galatasaray's 4-2 win over Lille. Reports say both sets of scouts left impressed.

Batrakov has two goals and two assists from his first six starts for the Istanbul side, so he has settled in quickly. Manchester United, Chelsea and Manchester City have also been following him since earlier in the summer, which means a five-way Premier League chase could develop if he keeps up this form.

His move to Turkey has opened the door for English clubs. They could not deal directly with Lokomotiv because of UK government sanctions linked to the war in Ukraine, but his €25 million switch to Galatasaray removed that block.

Galatasaray moved for him after dropping their interest in Bruno Fernandes. Paris Saint-Germain had also kept an eye on Batrakov, but they put their focus on deals for Ferran Torres and Maghnes Akliouche, which left the way clear for the Turkish club.

Galatasaray are happy with what they have seen and do not want to sell, but a clause in his contract could take that choice away from them. 

His deal has a release clause of around £50 million that only applies to clubs in the top four leagues in England, Spain, Italy and Germany. That is roughly double what Galatasaray paid for him, and it gives his admirers a simple way to get a deal done.

Sending scouts to the Lille game is a notable step for Arsenal and Liverpool as they decide whether to make their interest official ahead of the coming transfer windows. 

For now, Batrakov will try to keep building on his good start in Istanbul while Europe's big clubs keep watching.