ISTANBUL: Struggling Turkish giants Galatasaray announced they had signed Belgium’s Dries Mertens and Uruguay midfielder Lucas Torreira on Monday.
Saddled with heavy debts and a tight budget Galatasaray struggled to 13th in the league last season.
Fans of the record 22-times Turkish champions welcomed the two players at an airport on Sunday as they arrived for final medical checks.
Mertens is 35-year-old but joins after nine influential seasons with Napoli, where the versatile winger became the club’s record goalscorer.
“It was an honour to get an offer from Galatasaray,“ Mertens said in a Twitter post. “I’m happy and excited.”
Torreira, 26, won an FA Cup with Arsenal and then La Liga on loan with Atletico Madrid.
He also impressed in Serie A last season where he played 35-times on loan at Fiorentina.
Torreira said he was sure the move would be a success for him and the club. – AFP
