Most footballers earn a new contract at 31 because of what they have already done. Kaan Ayhan earned his because of what he can still do: play three different positions without the team needing to rebuild itself around him. Galatasaray renewed his deal in July 2026, and it now runs until 30 June 2028. For a club that expects to win the league every year, that isn't sentiment. It's insurance.
Ayhan has rarely been the headline name in Istanbul. He's the player who steps in when a centre-back is suspended, a right-back is injured or the midfield needs someone who won't wander. That kind of usefulness doesn't fill highlight reels. It does explain a career that has run through Germany, Italy and Türkiye, and an international record that passed 70 senior caps by 2026.
Ayhan by the numbers
| Detail | Information |
|---|---|
| Born | 10 November 1994, Gelsenkirchen, Germany |
| Age | 31 (turns 32 on 10 November 2026) |
| Nationality | Turkish |
| Height | 1.85 m, about 6 ft 1 in |
| Positions | Centre-back, defensive midfielder, right-back |
| Preferred foot | Right |
| Club and shirt | Galatasaray, No. 23 |
| Contract | Until 30 June 2028 |
| Estimated net worth | £9 million to £11 million (Icon Polls estimate) |
Gelsenkirchen to Istanbul, by way of Serie A
Ayhan joined Schalke's academy as a child and spent more than a decade there before breaking into the senior side and making Bundesliga appearances. A loan to Eintracht Frankfurt followed, but the real turning point came in 2016, when Fortuna Düsseldorf signed him permanently. Regular football there turned a promising academy graduate into an established Turkish international.
Sassuolo paid roughly €2.5 million to €2.7 million for him in 2020, and he went on to make more than 50 Serie A appearances. Then, in January 2023, Galatasaray took him on loan for a €400,000 fee with a €2.8 million purchase option. They used it, and he became a permanent Galatasaray player from July 2023.
The timing was kind to him. Ayhan was part of consecutive championship-winning squads in Istanbul and later contributed to a season that also brought the Turkish Cup. After years of mid-table football in Germany and Italy, that is quite a late-career upgrade.
A defender who won't take one label
Ask what Ayhan is and you'll get three answers. At centre-back he leans on positioning, aerial strength and experience rather than pace. In defensive midfield he protects space and passes forward without drama. At right-back he is conservative, closer to a third centre-back than an overlapping winger, but he gives a side security.
He's also comfortable with long passes and set pieces, and he has scored important goals for Türkiye, some from distance and some from dead balls. That range matters most in tournament football, where squads are capped and coaches can't carry a specialist for every scenario. It's a big part of why he has stayed in the national-team picture since his senior debut in 2016.
What he earns, and what is only an estimate
Ayhan's estimated gross fixed salary for 2026/27 is about €1.88 million a year, roughly €36,000 a week before tax and bonuses. Bonuses can lift that figure, but these numbers come from salary databases, not from Galatasaray, and should be read as estimates.
Icon Polls estimates his net worth at £9 million to £11 million. That figure is built from more than a decade of top-flight contracts across three countries, transfer-related payments and international duty. His private finances have never been published, so treat it as an informed guess rather than a fact.
Why a €1.5 million player gets two more years
By May 2026 his market value was estimated at about €1.5 million, well below his peak. That drop is mostly about age. No club is buying a 31-year-old for resale.
But resale was never the point. Türkiye's official registration records show his previous agreement ended in June 2026, was renewed in July, and now covers the following season through June 2028. A two-year commitment at his age tells you Galatasaray see him as more than a one-season stopgap. Ayhan, for his part, stays at a club where he has a regular role and a trophy cabinet to show for it. Unless a suitable offer arrives, he'll be in Istanbul through the end of 2027/28.
The injury list is getting longer
This is the part of his file that deserves watching. In November 2024 he suffered a second-degree strain in the right upper hamstring area. A knee injury in April 2025 cost him several weeks. A short absence followed in October, and then a groin problem on international duty in November 2025 became the biggest setback of the first half of 2025/26, keeping him out into December before he returned around the turn of the year.
None of those has been described as career threatening, and he remained an active club and international player in 2026. Still, he plays physically demanding roles and is now in his thirties. Whether that 2028 contract looks smart or generous will depend largely on how often he is available.
Aylin, Karan and Kayla
Ayhan is married to Aylin Betül Ayhan, formerly Aylin Cengiz. Public accounts say they knew each other from school. They married officially in Gelsenkirchen in November 2018, then held a larger celebration in Essen in summer 2019 with family, friends and football figures.
The couple have two children: their son Karan, born in 2022, and their daughter Kayla, born in 2024. Aylin has followed him from Germany to Italy to Türkiye, and while the family keeps a low profile, she occasionally appears in Turkish sports coverage around big Galatasaray and national-team moments.
Faith, left to him
Ayhan hasn't named a specific religion in any direct public statement. He often uses phrases such as inşallah and şükrediyoruz in Turkish interviews, but those expressions are part of everyday Turkish speech and don't settle anyone's private beliefs. The honest answer is that his faith is his own business, and we'll leave it there unless he chooses to say more.
On the international stage, his story has a bigger chapter: having represented Germany at youth level before choosing Türkiye, he went on to play at European Championships and the 2026 World Cup. Where does that tournament sit in football history? Vote in our poll on the best World Cups of all time and have your say.
Worth knowing
How old is Kaan Ayhan?
He is 31 and turns 32 on 10 November 2026.
How much did Galatasaray pay for him?
A €400,000 loan fee in January 2023, followed by a €2.8 million purchase option that made the move permanent from July 2023.
Did he ever play for Germany?
Only at youth level. He chose Türkiye for senior football and made his debut in 2016.
