ISTANBUL
Istanbul club Besiktas have secured German striker Mario Gomez on a one season loan, according to a statement on the club’s website on Thursday.
The club will reportedly pay the Fiorentina player 3.5 million euros ($3.8 million) in wages. There is an option in the contract to make the move permanent.
Gomez, 30, is due to arrive in Istanbul at 2.45 p.m. local time (1145GMT) and is expected to be greeted by jubilant Besiktas fans.
The Istanbul giants had long been linked with a move for the former Bayern Munich player, who won a Champions League title and two Bundesliga championships with the Bavarian club.
"Besiktas announce that [on] Thursday the club reached an agreement with Fiorentina for the loan of Mario Garcia Gomez," the club said. "The contract includes an option to make the deal permanent."
Gomez began his professional career with Stuttgart before moving to Bayern Munich. He joined Fiorentina in the summer of 2013.
He has scored 14 goals in 47 appearances for the Serie A club, despite missing part of his first season due to a knee injury, and bagged 25 goals in 59 appearances for Germany since 2007.
