Vedat Muriqi Returns to Fenerbahçe in €15m Deal, Setting Up Süper Lig Golden Boot Battle with Osimhen and Onuachu

Fenerbahçe have secured the services of Kosovo international forward Vedat Muriqi from RCD Mallorca in a transfer worth €15 million, completing what is the first signing of the new presidential era at the Istanbul club.

Muriqi, 32, arrives back in Turkey following an exceptional individual campaign in Spain, where he netted 23 LaLiga goals to finish as the division’s second-highest scorer. His return to Fenerbahçe is a reunion — the striker previously represented the club before moving to Spain — and comes at a moment of significant institutional change at the Turkish powerhouse.

The deal was the first act of business for Aziz Yıldırım, who was re-elected as Fenerbahçe president during an Extraordinary General Assembly vote held on Sunday, June 7th. Yıldırım, a 73-year-old businessman who previously led the club between 1998 and 2018, received 17,245 votes to comfortably defeat rival candidate Hakan Safi, who polled 9,927 votes. The signing of Muriqi had been a stated campaign promise to supporters.

Mallorca’s financial difficulties following their relegation from Spain’s top flight played a significant role in facilitating the transfer. Despite Muriqi’s prolific output in front of goal, the Palma-based club were relegated to the Segunda División on a head-to-head tiebreaker after finishing 18th in the LaLiga table with 42 points. The economic pressure stemming from the drop to the second tier prompted the club to accept a fee below their original asking price of €20 million.

At Fenerbahçe, the expectation is that Muriqi’s physicality and proficiency in the air will be central to the club’s domestic title ambitions. The Istanbul side have not won the Süper Lig championship in 13 years, and the club’s hierarchy believes the striker has the profile to spearhead a serious title challenge.

His arrival also sets the stage for a compelling individual scoring contest in Turkish football. Galatasaray’s Victor Osimhen, who joined the Istanbul rivals on loan from Napoli last season and has been heavily linked with a permanent move, was among the Süper Lig’s most dangerous forwards in recent campaigns. Trabzonspor’s Paul Onuachu, the towering Nigerian international, represents another significant aerial threat in the division. Muriqi’s arrival adds a third target man of considerable pedigree to a league that has attracted notable attacking talent in recent seasons.

For Fenerbahçe, the speed of the Muriqi transaction signals an intent to move decisively in the transfer market under Yıldırım’s renewed leadership as the club targets a long-awaited return to domestic dominance.