Former Barça Atlètic talent Emre Demir has left Fenerbahçe, signing permanently for Alanyaspor. The fee has not yet been disclosed, but Barcelona retain a 20% sell-on fee for the 22-year-old attacking midfielder after selling him to Fenerbahçe in January 2023. Demir has spent the past three seasons on loan in Türkiye's second division with Ümraniyespor and Sakaryaspor.
In the summer of 2021, Emre Demir arrived at FC Barcelona as a highly-touted prospect. Then 18, the attacking midfielder had quickly emerged as a rising talent in his native Türkiye with Kayserispor, amassing 38 appearances. Several top clubs were rumored to be interested, but Barcelona won the battle to sign him for €2 million.
The plan for Demir was to start with Barça Atlètic before hopefully making the step up to the first team, or at least make a profit at a time when Barcelona desperately needed cash. However, Demir failed to become a regular under Rafa Márquez, playing just 24 minutes on a stacked Barça Atlètic side that only just missed out on promotion.
Barcelona cut their losses in January, allowing him to return to Fenerbahçe on a free transfer, but retaining a sell-on should he develop into a top player. So far, that has not been the case.
Demir was immediately loaned out to Samsunspor in the 1. Lig, the country's second division. However, he again struggled for minutes as the club stormed to promotion. He's spent the past three seasons back in the 1. Lig, putting up some decent performances for Ümraniyespor and Sakaryaspor.
On Tuesday, he officially moved to Alanyaspor, where he will hopefully get his first top-flight minutes since he left for Barcelona five years ago. He never made an appearance for Fenerbahçe.
“Emre Demir had a great start in Kayseri, then transferred to Barcelona and later to Fenerbahçe. Now he has come to Alanyaspor," said the club's president, Hasan Çavuşoğlu. "We all know Emre's talent and quality. However, he needs a fresh start, and our club is the right place for that."
Given the situation, it's unlikely that the transfer fee is substantial enough for Barcelona to benefit. In any case, the club has a good record of moving on from young players at the right times to optimize their values and allow new players to push through the ranks, too. The sell-ons also mean that, when a player does break through, such as Jan Virgili, Barcelona still benefit financially in many instances.
While it is too late for Barcelona to benefit from a potential Demir emergence now, there is still plenty of time for him to show the potential he had that inspired the Catalans to sign him in 2021. Alanyaspor have already started the season strong, drawing their opener before beating Beşiktaş 1-0. Demir will hope to be part of that going forward.
"I believe that Emre will regain good momentum here, contribute to our club, and take an important step in his own career," said Çavuşoğlu. "I wish the transfer to be beneficial for both our club and Emre.”
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