Kökcü leaves Feyenoord for Benfica; transfer fee of about €30 million

Benfica has announced the arrival of Orkun Kökcü on its own social media, showing a photo of the Dutch-Turkish footballer wearing his new club’s shirt. The top Portuguese club has officially confirmed the arrival of the midfielder who reportedly signed a five-year contract. He helped Feyenoord win the championship this season.

Kökcü, 22, had already announced that he would leave Feyenoord if a great club from abroad presented an acceptable offer. He has been enthusiastic about Benfica after speaking with Fredrik Aursnes, his former teammate, who made the switch last year from Feyenoord to the champions of Portugal. Roger Schmidt is Benfica 's coach. The German previously worked at PSV.

Feyenoord was demanding at least 30 million euros for Kökcü. That amount can increase considerably due to bonuses. This makes the midfielder the most expensive purchase in Benfica's club history.

Kökcü wanted to complete his transfer quickly, because he has to report to the Turkish national football team next week for matches against Latvia and Wales in the European Championship qualification. He was met by many Portuguese journalists upon arrival at the airport in Lisbon, as could be seen in images posted on social media.

Born in Haarlem, Kökcü made the switch in 2014 from the youth academy at FC Groningen to that of Feyenoord. He made his debut with the Rotterdam team in 2018. Last season, Kökcü became captain of Feyenoord, winning the first national title there since 2017. Kökcü played 173 games for the club and scored 32 times.

Kökcü was expected to undergo a medical examination on Saturday.