Galatasaray have announced that they are in negotiations with Wolves over the potential transfer of Gabonese midfielder Mario Lemina.
Lemina, who joined Wolves from Nice in January 2023, has been absent from the squad since January 6 following a dispute with manager Vitor Pereira. Last month, Pereira stated that the former Southampton player would not feature for the team until the transfer window closed, after Lemina initially refused to make himself available for selection before later reversing his decision.
On Wednesday, Galatasaray confirmed they are in talks with both Wolves and Lemina regarding the transfer. The Turkish winter transfer window remains open until February 11.
Lemina, 31, previously spent the 2019-20 season on loan at Galatasaray from Southampton, making 28 appearances.
The Gabon international lost the Wolves captaincy to Nelson Semedo in December following an incident with West Ham’s Jarrod Bowen after a 2-1 loss at the London Stadium. This occurred shortly before Vitor Pereira replaced Gary O’Neil as Wolves’ head coach.
Wolves currently sit 17th in the Premier League, just two points clear of the relegation zone, with only five wins this season. Meanwhile, Galatasaray lead the Turkish Super Lig and have advanced to the knockout play-off stage of the Europa League.
Lemina began his professional career at Lorient before playing for Marseille and later moving to Juventus in 2015. Southampton signed him for a then club-record £18.1 million in 2017, where he made 52 appearances. After a loan spell at Fulham in 2020-21, Lemina moved permanently from Southampton to Nice.