Flown in - €11m midfielder on verge of Wolves transfer exit amid agreement

Watch more of our videos on ShotsTV.com 
and on Freeview 262 or Freely 565
Visit Shots! now
A Wolves player is set to leave the club after the end of the transfer window as he arrives in Turkey to seal a move away from Molineux.

Former Wolverhampton Wanderers captain Mario Lemina has arrived in Istanbul to finalise a £2.5m move to Super Lig leaders Galatasaray, the Turkish club have confirmed.

The Gabonese midfielder, who joined Wolves from French side Nice for a fee reported to be around €11m (£9.2m) in 2023, made 77 appearances for the Old Gold and was appointed club captain at the start of the 2024/25 season, but was stripped of the armband following a fracas at the end of match against West Ham United.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

He then asked to leave the club and was exiled from the first team by new manager Vitor Pereira, leading to his eventual departure. Galatasaray are still able to sign the 31-year-old because the Turkish transfer window does not close until 11 February.

The transfer has not yet been completed, with personal terms still to be agreed, but Galatasaray have announced that they “have started transfer talks”. Lemina will also need to pass a medical, but the deal is expected to be finalised imminently.

Old Gold outcast’s career ends in disappointing fashion

Lemina’s fall from grace at the Molineux has been especially disappointing given his excellent form in the 2023/24 season, when he was voted as the Supporters' Player of the Season.

The combative midfielder, who has also spent time at Southampton and Juventus, started the current campaign as captain and one of the first names on the team-sheet under Gary O’Neil, but had the captaincy removed after getting embroiled in a fight with West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen and members of the Wolves coaching staff.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

Lemina then requested a transfer, with new head coach Vitor Pereira responding by dropping him from the first-team squad after criticising his attitude. “I don’t know what happened before me,” Pereira told the media. “But with this energy and mentality, I don’t need [Lemina]. I'd prefer to play another player.”

The midfielder is now set to get his wish, with rumours of a move to Turkey first crystallising on transfer deadline day. He will have the chance to compete for silverware immediately at his new club, with Galatasaray three points clear at the top of the Super Lig.

Lemina departure rounds off transfer business

The sale of Lemina is expected to be Wolves’ last transfer deal of the 2024/25 season after the Old Gold spent a reported total of £42.6m on centre-backs Emmanuel Agbadou and Nasser Djiga, who arrived from Stade Reims and Red Star Belgrade respectively, and midfielder Marshall Munetsi, who played alongside Agbadou in Reims.

Agbadou has already made four appearances, while deadline-day arrivals Djiga and Munetsi, who play international football for Burkina Faso and Zimbabwe respectively, could make their debuts in the FA Cup this weekend when Wolves face Blackburn Rovers in the fourth round.

Hide Ad
Hide Ad

A social media video shared by the club also showed Munetsi praising the strength and skill of his old team-mate Agbadou, suggesting that he could handle the likes of Kylian Mbappe, Neymar and Lionel Messi when he faced them in France – a claim backed up by the fact that Reims only lost one game against PSG with Agbadou on the books.

Related topics:

Comment Guidelines

National World encourages reader discussion on our stories. User feedback, insights and back-and-forth exchanges add a rich layer of context to reporting. Please review our Community Guidelines before commenting.

Follow us
©National World Publishing Ltd. All rights reserved.Cookie SettingsTerms and ConditionsPrivacy notice