Galatasaray tickets reach £500

Prices inflated by 500% ahead of crunch Champions League game with Chelsea

Stamford Bridge, south London, where there will be around 3000 Galatasaray fans on Tuesday

TOUTS have floated tickets for Galatasaray’s crucial match next week against Chelsea for £500 each on the black market

A seller who approached Londra Gazete this week said they had a pair tickets available in a “prime viewing position” at the Stamford Bridge ground in south London, where the game will be played on Tuesday night.

Others revealed they had sold single tickets for £360 to enthusiastic fans over ticket purchasing websites ViaGoGo and ticketbis, representing at least a 500% mark-up on club prices.

None of the sellers consented to being named.

The figures reveal the dizzying prices generated by the community’s interest in a Turkish team’s visit to London.

A similar black market sprung up when Fenerbahçe faced Arsenal in a Champions League play-off match last August.

Prices for tickets to Tuesday’s fixture ranged between £52 and £70, but all have now sold out.

Galatasaray held Chelsea to a 1-1 draw at home in the first leg of the tie on 27 February. The result kept the Istanbul side in contention for progressing to the next round, but they will have to at least equal Chelsea’s goals in order to proceed.