Transfer Rumor: Nuri Sahin on his way out, again

With the departure of Ilkay Gundogan to England this off-season, the void at central midfield looks to be filled by the likes of Sebastian Rode, Gonzalo Castro, and Nuri Sahin. But could the latter's future at Dortmund be in jeopardy?

Linked with Trabzonspor just a few weeks ago, Sahin has recently captured the interest of both Galatasaray and Fiorentina. Sahin has never played professionally in his home country of Turkey nor in the Italian Serie A.

While Dortmund displays great depth at midfield, there is a startling lack thereof in Fiorentina. La Viola continues to lose big names left and right, and are reportedly prepared to lose Milan Badelj this summer. With the Croatian midfielder departing, need for midfielders is at an extreme-high in Florence.

Sahin would not fit very well in Fiorentina, who currently have a lot of fire power at striker and winger loaned away. Mario Gomez, Ante Rebic, and Giuseppe Rossi are all currently on loan and could likely be gone for good.

In the midfield, Fiorentina already has a player who operates like Sahin in Borja Valero. Sahin and Valero would overlap too much, leading to one playing out of position. However, Josip Ilicic would compliment Sahin very well with Fiorentina, but with Valero already well-established, it would be difficult for Sahin to find minutes.

As for Galatasaray, rumors of Sahin joining the Yellow-Reds have been circulating since 2009 and haven't really gathered steam since 2013. In reality, a voyage to Istanbul does not seem likely for Sahin. Galatasaray feature a squad with heavy defensive corps and some skilled midfielders.

Captain  Selcuk Inan, Wesley Sneijder, Jose Rodriguez Martinez, as well as on-loan midfielders Blerim Dzemaili and Armindo Bruma form a solid foundation in the middle of the park for Galatasaray.

In Dortmund, Sahin is set to play a valuable, more expanded role at midfield this season both on and off the pitch. While filling in for Gundogan, Sahin is anticipating to mentor the young Turkish super-star Emre Mor who has only recently arrived in Dortmund.

Sahin is the youngest player ever to score in the Bundesliga at 16. Having broken into the first-team at such a young age, his experience and leadership will be valued by many members of a very young Dortmund squad. This mentorship is the most valuable and irreplaceable aspect of Sahin.

As always, these are currently just rumors and nothing official has been announced yet. However, coach Thomas Tuchel would love to hold onto such a talented, experienced leader like Sahin, so expect the Turk to stay at least through the end of the season.