Galatasaray believed they’d agreed a deal to sign Danny Welbeck on loan this summer, and even sold Bafetimbi Gomis as a result, according to reports in Turkey.

According to journalist Ugur Karakullukcu (via Sport Witness), who reportedly has close ties to Galatasaray, the Super Lig club came close to signing Welbeck on loan towards the end of the summer window.

The club’s board were so confident they’d landed the Arsenal striker, they convinced manager Fatih Terim to sell one of their existing forwards, Bafetimbi Gomis. Then, the Welbeck deal collapsed, and Galatasaray were left without either player up front.

If true, it’s possible Welbeck changed Unai Emery’s mind in his initial training sessions and with a goal against West Ham in his first game back. At the time, Alexandre Lacazette and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang were making a slow start to the season, with no goals between them in three matches.

Alternatively, Galatasaray may have just been optimistically putting all their eggs in one basket without any real assurances from Arsenal. It’s hard to know for sure. Either way, Welbeck is now on the sidelines after ankle surgery, so at least this is one rumour that won’t resurface every few days in January.