Who is Roland Sallai? The Galatasaray defender Liverpool have already made contact to sign

Liverpool’s Champions League last-16 meeting with Galatasaray will double as a private audition for Roland Sallai, the 29-year-old Hungarian whom the Reds have already sounded out about a potential move to Anfield, according to the player’s father.

The draw, held on Friday, 27 February, paired Jürgen Klopp’s side with the Turkish champions after Liverpool finished third in their group and bypassed the play-off round. While the tie revives memories of Victor Osimhen’s previous clash with Liverpool, it also sharpens the focus on Sallai, whose positional transformation and expiring-profile value have put him on the Premier League club’s radar.

Speaking to Hungarian media this week, Sallai’s father confirmed that preliminary discussions have taken place. “From here he can only sign for a team that is truly one of the top teams in the world. Liverpool could be such a destination, and I admit, I wouldn’t be surprised if this club change happened now, in the winter,” he said. “I know that contact has already been made through a management office… my son will really have a good chance in the summer if there is an offer that is also beneficial for Galatasaray, to change country and level.”

A Budapest native, Sallai has spent the bulk of his senior career as a right-winger, registering 48 goals and 43 assists in 347 club matches. This season, however, coach Okan Buruk has redeployed him as a right-back; the switch has not blunted his attacking instincts—one goal and six assists have arrived in 29 appearances in the new role. Market analysts at Transfermarkt value the converted defender at €10 million (£8.7 million), and his contract with Galatasaray runs until 2028.

International pedigree accompanies the statistical return. Capped for Hungary since 2016, Sallai lines up alongside Liverpool midfielder Dominik Szoboszlai and Bournemouth full-back Milos Kerkez. Earlier this season he lauded Szoboszlai as “excellent,” and the prospect of a Hungarian trio starting at Anfield is one his father concedes “wouldn’t be just any moment.”

Liverpool’s recruitment staff will now have two high-stakes legs to scrutinise Sallai’s defensive discipline, positional intelligence and attacking overlap against elite opposition. Should the on-field evidence marry the data already filed, a summer approach—structured to satisfy both player and club—appears increasingly plausible.