It seems a matter of when, rather than if Mario Lemina departs Wolves.
Rumours surrounding the 31-year-old’s potential exit from Molineux dominated the headlines as several clubs showed an interest in the Wolves midfielder.
Al Shabab approached Lemina in January and they were quickly joined in their pursuit by numerous other clubs, including Galatasaray.
It was reported on transfer deadline day that Galatasaray agreed a £2.5m transfer for Lemina, paving the way for his exit.
Lemina even hinted the transfer was close on his Instagram story, with it seemingly only a matter of time before the Gabon international finally has his exit confirmed.
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Galatasaray confirm negotiations for Mario Lemina
With the Turkish transfer window open till February 11th, clubs have extra time to seal their business and tempt players from abroad to join.
Wolves are desperate for Lemina to leave after he burned bridges with the fans, refusing to play in their 3-0 defeat against Newcastle United.
Luckily, Lemina is in Turkey ahead of completing his transfer to the European giants and now the official Galatasaray page have confirmed negotiations have begun for the midfielder.
Their post reads: “Official negotiations have started with the football player and her club, Wolverhampton Wanderers Football Club, regarding the transfer of professional football player Mario Rene Junior Lemina.”
This suggests a deal shouldn’t take a long time to be finalized and one rule perhaps explains why they’re desperate to get it over the line.
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Europa League registration deadline explains why Galatasaray are eager to complete Lemina deal
Galatasaray have advanced into the play-off round of the Europa League after finishing in 14th position in the league phase.
The deadline to register players for the competition is at midnight on February 6th, which could explain why they’re eager to seal the transfer for Lemina.
Manager Okan Buruk will surely want the midfielder to be a part of his squad and is probably behind the process of getting a deal completed.
So, with the pressure of readying his side for the next round of the Europa League, adding Lemina to his roster will be a huge boost.
It’s good news for Wolves fans, who could see the exit of their former captain happen sooner rather than later, with negotiations between the clubs firmly underway.