Galatasaray vice-president Erden Timur admits they tried to sign Sergio Ramos.
Ramos held talks with Gala before signing with Sevilla last Friday.
Timur said: "He was convinced to come, but he was waiting for Sevilla.
"They also called him from Arabia, but we couldn't reach those numbers. So when Sevilla appeared, it was clear that he wanted to return there."
Ramos joined Sevilla on a free transfer from PSG.