Wilfried Zaha last night flew to Istanbul after agreeing to sign for Galatasaray, having left Crystal Palace.
The forward’s contract at Selhurst Park expired at the end of last month, and it had remained unclear since last season whether he would leave or sign a new deal.
But Turkish Super Lig champions Galatasaray have won the race to sign the 30-year-old, announcing yesterday that negotiations had begun, before flying him out to Istanbul last night.
Since becoming a free agent, Zaha had spent a large proportion of the past three weeks on holiday, mulling over his options.
Live transfer blog: Follow all the latest news, rumours and gossip
Speaking to the club’s official channels, Zaha said: “I’m happy. I’m happy to be here. I’m looking forward to seeing the stadium, meeting my teammates, and just getting started.”
On arrival, he signed shirts for Galatasaray fans who had met him at Ataturk airport.
“Thank you for the support”, he said, “and I look forward to doing what I do on the pitch and hopefully trying to win as much as possible.”
In March, Palace offered him £200,000 a week on a new four-year contract in a bid to make him the highest-paid player in the club’s history.
Zaha was also attracting interest from Chelsea and Paris Saint-Germain and had an offer from Al-Ittihad, so kept his cards close to his chest.
After then rejecting Palace’s bumper new deal and instead letting his contract expire, he received lucrative offers from Lazio, Fenerbahce and Al-Nassr in recent weeks.
Yet Fenerbahce’s Turkish Super Lig rivals Galatasaray are now set to sign the Ivory Coast international on what is believed to be a three-year deal.
Personal terms and paperwork are yet to be finalised, but they are expected to be a formality now, with Zaha in Turkey.
It marks an excellent week for the Turkish champions, who also brought in DR Congo striker Cedric Bakambu and are set to sign Inter Milan’s Mauro Icardi, who scored 23 goals in 26 games on loan at Galatasaray last season.
Zaha made no secret of the fact he wanted to play in the Champions League, and Galatasaray visit FK Zalgiris of Lithuania tomorrow in their second qualifying round first-leg tie as they bid to reach the group stage.
He grew up in Thornton Heath and joined Palace’s academy as an Under-10. Besides a two-year stint at Manchester United which included a loan spell at Cardiff City, he has spent his entire career at Selhurst Park.
Zaha registered 90 goals and 76 assists in 458 appearances for his boyhood club between 2010 and this year.
He posted on Instagram: “As I start a new chapter, I want to speak to you Palace fans who mean so much to me.
“We have been through so much together, including 10 years in the Prem. There are loads of amazing memories. I’m so proud to have played my part in getting us to the Prem and helping to keep us there.
“I’ve been wearing the Palace shirt since I was 8 years old, it’s literally been my second skin and I always gave EVERYTHING when I wore it.
“I grew up two roads away from the bright lights and loud crowds of Selhurst Park, having no idea that I would be at the centre of it all one day.
“I want to thank Steve Parish, all of my team-mates, coaches and the entire Palace fanbase for always believing in me and encouraging me to get to where I am today.
“From the bottom of my heart, I’m forever grateful.”
