The Vice President of Fenerbache has maintained that Italian club Atalanta “insulted” the Turkish giants by demanding a letter of guarantee for the proposed transfer of Ademola Lookman.
Fenerbache pushed to sign Ademola Lookman in the January transfer window before they were eventually beaten by Atletico Madrid to the player’s signature.
Fenerbache Vice President Murat Salar gave a detailed account of the team’s pursuit of Ademola Lookman, while stating that the club are financially healthy.
“I was involved in the Lookman transfer process. Atalanta requested a letter of guarantee. Fenerbahçe has never, in its history, given or received a letter of guarantee. It’s not something that happens in practice. We considered it an insult,” he told the club’s TV channel.
“We said, ‘Which bank has a higher reputation than 120-year-old Fenerbahçe?’
“We argued that Fenerbahçe’s reputation is greater than that piece of paper. We transferred players from Manchester United and PSG. We didn’t give any of them a letter of guarantee.
“Fenerbahçe has made and will continue to make transfers without letters of guarantee.
“It’s unacceptable for another Italian club to request a letter of guarantee when another Italian club, Lazio, doesn’t.
“It’s requested to set a precedent. It creates a barrier for all Turkish teams.
“We wanted to acquire Lookman, we pushed our limits, but a letter of guarantee is not something that exists. Fenerbahçe has neither given nor received a letter of guarantee.”
