Babel Returns To Turkey With Galatasaray Move

By Max Wise

Ryan Babel has returned to Turkey for a third spell after joining Galatasaray on a free transfer.

Babel was a free agent after leaving Fulham at the end of the season.

Babel has signed a three-year deal with the Turkish champions and will pocket a signing-on fee of £1.79m with a yearly salary of £2.24m

The 32-year-old Netherlands international joined Fulham on a short-term deal in the January transfer window from Besiktas but could not prevent the Cottagers from suffering relegation to the Championship despite scoring five goals in 16 games.

"I am very honored and very grateful to join a big club like Galatasaray," former Liverpool forward Babel told Galatasaray’s official website.

"I think my adventure should continue like this,"

 "I am very happy and grateful to be here. I hope I can add extra things to our team. I hope I will win trophies with Galatasaray."

Galatasaray will be playing in the UEFA Champions League next season after mounting a strong finish to the season to be crowned champions of Turkey, finishing two points above Istanbul Basaksehir.

Babel has already played in Turkey with Kasimpasa and Besiktas, and has also featured for Hoffenheim, Ajax Amsterdam, Al-Ain and Deportivo La Coruna in a nomadic career.

Babel has been a member of the Netherlands national team since 2005, featuring 57 times and scoring eight goals, and was part of their squads that finished as runners-up in both the 2010 FIFA World Cup in South Africa as well as the UEFA Nations League in Portugal earlier this month.