Mario Lemina, former captain of Wolverhampton Wanderers, has officially joined Galatasaray for a reported fee of £2.08 million (€2.5 million).
The 31-year-old Gabonese midfielder returns to the Turkish club after a previous loan spell and has signed an 18-month contract with an option for an additional year. Lemina’s departure from Molineux comes after a two-year stint marked by both success and controversy. The situation escalated following a 3-0 defeat to Newcastle last month when Wolves’ new boss, Vitor Pereira, revealed that Lemina had requested not to be considered for selection due to his desire to move away.
Prior to this, Lemina had been stripped of the Wolves captaincy in December by then-manager Gary O’Neil after a post-match incident with West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen.
While O’Neil’s departure and Pereira’s arrival offered a chance for reconciliation, Lemina’s relationship with the club remained fractured.
Pereira made it clear that he would not consider Lemina for selection, stating, “I can’t bring a player who tells me he is not in the mental condition to help the team. He (Lemina) wants to leave. I don’t know what happened before me, but with this energy and this mentality, I don’t need him”.
Galatasaray confirmed the transfer via a post on X, stating that they have reached an agreement with Wolverhampton Wanderers for the transfer of Mario Rene Junior Lemina. They also confirmed the transfer fee of €2,500,000 and the signing of a 1.5+1 year contract with the player, starting from the 2024-2025 season.
While the January transfer window has closed for most European clubs, it remains open in Turkey until February 11, allowing the transfer to proceed. Lemina last played for Wolves on January 6 and was replaced as captain by Nelson Semedo. Although he later reversed his decision to be unavailable for selection, Pereira maintained that he would not play him until his future was resolved.
Lemina previously played for Galatasaray on loan during the 2019-20 season. Throughout his career, he has also played for Lorient, Marseille, Juventus, Southampton, Fulham and Nice. He is also a Gabon international, having represented them at the 2017 and 2021 Africa Cup of Nations