Former Wolves captain Mario Lemina has finalized a permanent move to Galatasaray for a fee of €2.5 million.
The 31-year-old midfielder had lost his place at Molineux under manager Vitor Pereira after requesting to be left out of the squad due to his desire to leave the club.
Pereira confirmed Lemina’s wish 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 tenure at Wolves was marked by controversy. He was stripped of the captaincy following a post-match incident with West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen earlier in the season.
Although Lemina later apologized and expressed his willingness to rejoin the squad, Pereira remained firm in his decision, keeping him out of the team until his future was settled.
Galatasaray, where Lemina previously had a successful loan spell, have now signed him on a 1.5+1 year contract.
Upon arriving in Istanbul, Lemina expressed his joy at returning to Galatasaray.
“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 transfer concludes Lemina’s time at Wolves and signals a new chapter for the midfielder in Turkey.
