Galatasaray renew Nakamba interest

Sport
WARRIORS’ star Marvelous Nakamba could become the second Zimbabwean to play for Galatasaray after reports that the Turkish club are preparing a bid for the talented Vitesse Arnhem midfielder.

WARRIORS’ star Marvelous Nakamba could become the second Zimbabwean to play for Galatasaray after reports that the Turkish club are preparing a bid for the talented Vitesse Arnhem midfielder.

BY DANIEL NHAKANISO

Marvelous Nakamba
Marvelous Nakamba

Norman Mapeza, the interim Warriors coach played for the Turkish outfit during the 1994/95 season where he played in the Uefa Cup, now Europa Cup.

And one of his stars could soon be following in his footsteps following reports in the Dutch media yesterday that the Turkish giants had made a bid for Nakamba.

Galatasaray have previously shown interest in Nakamba after making inquiries about the former Bantu Rovers and AS Nancy man in April last year although no deal was reached.

However, according to the Turkish newspaper Habertürk, Galatasaray, are desperate to sign Nakamba ahead of the new season.

Galatasaray see Nakamba as the ideal replacement for Brazilian midfielder Felipe Melo, who had a successful spell at the club between 2011 and 2015.

The speculation surrounding Nakamba’s future comes after the Vitesee Arnhem’s technical director Mo Allach recently admitted that his club could lose the Zimbabwe star amid growing interest from several clubs in Europe.

Nakamba, who is currently in camp with the Warriors, has grown into a valuable asset at Vitesse in the last two seasons, commanding a regular first team position and winning the prestigious Dutch Cup this year – the club’s first major trophy in their 125-year existence. He made a remarkable 36 starts in all competitions for the Yellow and Blacks this season, scoring twice and an assist.

Nakamba was voted the Dutch club’s second-best player in the just-ended season after amassing 35% of the votes from the club’s fans – just 3% shy of Dutch striker Ricky van Wolfswinkel, who was voted the club’s top player last season.

Galatasaray finished fourth in the Turkish Süper Lig this season to qualify for the Europa League next season.