TEAMtalk reported that Liverpool and Arsenal representatives watched Aleksey Batrakov during Galatasaray’s Champions League win over Lille on 21 October, when the Russian midfielder scored
Shortly after, transfer expert Graeme Bailey also confirmed Liverpool is stepping up their chase big time. Bailey reports that both Arsenal and Liverpool are competing to sign Batrakov. Both clubs are seriously increasing their interest in the Russian attacker.
On Monday, journalist Artur Petrosyan as well tweeted that Liverpool is closely monitoring Batrakov, who made his derby debut against Fenerbahce SK. He said the youngster is talented enough to play for an elite club in Europe, and it would be a surprise if he stays in Turkey for more than a couple of seasons.
However, with Florian Wirtz, Dominik Szoboszlai, Alexis Mac Allister, Trey Nyoni, and Harvey Elliott already available, Liverpool’s attacking midfield is crowded. Signing another playmaker like Batrakov would surely cause an unnecessary bottleneck.
What does he bring to the table? Batrakov is an attacking midfielder with demanding stamina. In his first few months in Turkey, Batrakov recorded two goals and two assists from six starts.
According to TEAMtalk, Batrakov’s contract includes a release clause believed to be worth around £50 million for clubs in England, Spain, Italy and Germany. Galatasaray has not publicly confirmed the clause’s terms. If Liverpool gets serious about making a move, they have a direct financial path to trigger the transfer.
At the beginning, when Batrakov’s talent was ready to flourish, English clubs hit a massive brick wall trying to deal with a Russian team because of UK sanctions. That opened the door for Galatasaray, who signed Batrakov for €25 million in August 2026, with Lokomotiv also entitled to 15% of the profit from a future sale.
Moving to Turkey has come out as a game-changer for Batrakov’s transfer situation. Now that he’s playing outside Russia, Premier League teams are going after him.
