Fenerbahce's fans cheer for their team during the Turkish Super league football match between Fenerbahce and Galatasaray on April 14, 2019 at the Fenerbahce stadium in Istanbul. (Photo by OZAN KOSE / AFP) (Photo credit should read OZAN KOSE/AFP/Getty Images)
The high-stakes race for the Fenerbahçe presidency has taken a spectacular turn as legendary former president Aziz Yıldırım reportedly identifies Manchester City defender Nathan Aké as his blockbuster election promise.
With the club’s extraordinary general assembly scheduled for June 6-7, 2026, Yıldırım is pulling out all the stops to convince the congress members that he is the man to restore the Yellow Canaries to the pinnacle of Turkish football.
Yıldırım’s sporting committee has been working tirelessly behind the scenes to facilitate a move for the Dutch international, sources have told Turkish-Football.
The vision presented by Yıldırım involves a defensive “dream team,” pairing Aké with the equally formidable Milan Škriniar to create what the Turkish press has already dubbed the “Wall of Kadıköy.”
The move is not merely speculative; sources close to the Yıldırım camp suggest that preliminary contact has already been made with Aké’s representatives to gauge the player’s interest in a move to Istanbul.
While Aké remains a valuable asset for the Premier League champions, the prospect of a guaranteed starting role and a central position in a historic project is reportedly an attractive proposition as he enters the next phase of his career.
For Yıldırım, the pursuit of a Manchester City stalwart is a clear message to his rival, Hakan Safi. While Safi has focused on targets like Robert Lewandowski, Yıldırım is doubling down on a “championship guarantee” built on defensive stability and elite European pedigree.
To complement the potential arrival of Aké, Yıldırım has also pledged to bring back iconic figures such as Aykut Kocaman and Dirk Kuyt to lead the technical staff, signaling a return to the club’s “inner spirit” and traditional values.
As the June 6-7 election looms, the “transfer bomb” involving Aké stands as one of the most ambitious targets in recent Süper Lig history.
If Yıldırım is successful in the polls, the focus will immediately shift to the Etihad Stadium to see if a deal can be struck to bring the Manchester City star to the Ülker Stadium, potentially shifting the balance of power in Turkish football for years to come.