Gomis completes Galatasaray switch

From scenic South Wales to the heady French Riviera and the banks of the Bosphorus, football can take a player on a voyage that even the best travel agent would struggle to organise.

Just ask French striker Bafetimbi Gomis, who on Wednesday agreed to join Istanbul giant Galatasaray from Swansea City.

Swansea announced the move with a statement on Twitter, adding that the 31-year-old goal poacher has joined the Super Lig side for an undisclosed fee. Reports suggest a £2.2-million fee has been agreed upon by both parties.

Surplus to requirements at the Liberty Stadium in light of Borja Baston and Fernando Llorente's Premier League moves, Gomis was loaned to Marseille for the 2016-17 season, and after scoring 13 times in 64 outings for the Swans, the Saint-Etienne academy product again found his goal-scoring boots in France's top flight.

With Olympique, Gomis scored 20 goals in 31 appearances, good enough for the fourth-highest total in Ligue 1, and Galatasaray will hope that the 12-time capped French international brings that form to Turkey.

Considering The Yellow-Reds are coming off a relatively disappointing campaign where they finished fourth behind fellow Istanbul behemoths Besiktas and Fenerbahce, and surprise side Istanbul Basakehir, anything will help a club whose leading goal-scorer, Lukas Podolski (17 in all comps), is off to Japan to join Vissel Kobe.