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Fenerbahce had planned to focus on a left back and a center back after signing Vedat Muriqi, but the striker's camp injury has pushed the club back toward the forward market.
Fenerbahce's transfer plans have been disrupted after Vedat Muriqi suffered an injury during the club's camp at Topuk Yaylasi, raising the possibility that he could be out for up to one month.
The club management, led by Club President Aziz Yildirim, had planned to move on from the striker position after bringing Muriqi in. The view inside the club had been that Fenerbahce had signed a player who already knew the club well, allowing the board to turn its attention to defensive needs.
However, Muriqi's setback has changed that approach, with the board now expected to put the left-back and center-back files on hold while stepping up talks for a second striker.
Fenerbahce is now expected to focus mainly on adding another forward before returning to other positions. The main obstacle remains the club's spending limits, which restrict how much room the board has in the transfer market.
Mason Greenwood, Serhou Guirassy and Alexander Sorloth have all been mentioned on the club's list, but the reported transfer fees, each said to be at least 40 million euros, have made progress difficult.
The club is expected to return to talks with the players' clubs and ask for lower fees. At the same time, Fenerbahce aims to move on players who are not in the plans in order to raise funds.
With Champions League qualifiers ahead, the club wants to avoid going into key matches with gaps in the squad. Yildirim is said to have asked the management team to settle the striker issue quickly.
After the camp, attention has turned to head coach Ismail Kartal's report. Kartal wanted to see all players in camp before deciding who should remain in the squad and who should leave.
The foreign player rule is also a major factor. The 10+4 rule refers to the squad limit on foreign players, with clubs required to manage both their main foreign quota and additional eligible players under the wider squad structure.
Because of this rule, Fenerbahce is expected to part ways with several foreign players in the coming days. Sofyan Amrabat, Diego Carlos and goalkeeper Dominik Livakovic are seen as the first names who could leave, especially because there are clubs interested in them.
Fenerbahce had initially been open to evaluating offers for Nene, but the club has now decided not to approve his departure.
The decision is linked to the 10+4 foreign player rule, as the 23-year-old Mali winger fits into the +4 category and gives the club more flexibility in squad planning.
Nene, whose current market value is listed at 20 million euros, played 39 matches last season, scoring 11 goals and providing six assists. For that reason, the club now sees him as a player who strengthens its hand rather than one to sell.
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