Hamit Altintop has finally joined Galatasaray after many weeks of negotiations between the Turkish club, the player and Real Madrid.
The former Bayern Munich midfielder, who Madrid signed on a free transfer before the start of last season, held talks with the Turkish Super Lig club in May but they broke down despite the player declaring at the time he had agreed a contract with the Istanbul club.
“It is correct. I have signed for Galatasaray,” Altintop was quoted as telling news agency Anadolu, although he later retracted the statement.
However, agreement has now been reached and the Turks will pay around €3m for the 29-year-old, who has penned a four-year deal and will fly out immediately to join his new teammates at their pre-season training camp in Austria.
Madrid will look on it as good business for a player who never quite gained the confidence of boss Jose Mourinho, despite the Portuguese attempting to turn him into a right-back, and he appeared in just 12 games for Los Blancos – five in La Liga, two in the Champions League and three in the Copa del Rey – scoring one goal in a 6-2 away victory at Sevilla.
