Former Wolves captain Mario Lemina has completed a permanent transfer to Galatasaray for a fee of €2.5 million.
The 31-year-old midfielder had fallen out of favor at Molineux under manager Vitor Pereira, having requested to be omitted from the squad due to his desire to leave the club.
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Pereira confirmed Lemina’s request to depart, stating, “I can’t bring a player who tells me he is not in the mental condition to help the team.”
Lemina’s time at Wolves has been turbulent. He was stripped of the captaincy following a post-match altercation with West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen earlier in the season.
While Lemina subsequently apologized and offered to return to the squad, Pereira maintained his stance, excluding him from the team until his future was resolved.
Galatasaray, where Lemina previously enjoyed a successful loan spell, have now secured his services on a 1.5+1 year contract.
Lemina revealed he was happy to be back at Galatasaray after arriving in Istanbul.
“Everyone knows I love this club. I’m very happy to be back at this great club. This is an ambitious club that wants to win in all areas, like the Champions League and the Europa League. It always wants to win the title. I’m really happy to be back,” Lemina said, via Galatasaray’s official website.
“When I got the first offer I was very excited. We wanted to build the chemistry between us, we wanted to finish this quickly. Especially the last three days were really long because I wanted to come back immediately.
“I wanted to play for this crest and this team. It’s a pleasure to be back. Our fans know me. I will give everything for the team and the fans. I hope we can achieve all the success we can together in this great club.”
This move brings an end to Lemina’s time at Wolves and marks a fresh start for the midfielder in Turkey.
