Altıntop leaves Madrid to join Galatasaray

Galatasaray AŞ have signed Turkish international Hamit Altıntop from Real Madrid CF on a four-year contract for a reported fee of €3.5m.

The 29-year-old former FC Schalke 04 midfielder joined Madrid last summer from FC Bayern München but struggled to break into the starting XI. He only made five appearances and scored one goal, in a 6-3 victory at Sevilla FC, as the Merengues clinched the Spanish Liga title.

"I can't express my happiness with words," said Galatasaray board member Abdürrahim Albayrak. "Hamit received other offers and some long negotiations took place. He expressed his wish to work with Fatih Terim, who personally put the effort in to sign him. We made a sacrifice to sign Hamit and so did he to join us."

Hamit Altıntop's 72 international caps and 27 UEFA Champions League appearances will make him a valuable addition to Fatih Terim's squad as they prepare for to enter Europe's premier club competition at the group stage. The Cimbom will learn their opponents in the draw on 30 August.