Sneijder is on his way to Turkey

Galatasaray have pounced on the reluctance of top European teams to try and sign one of the best, currently available, midfielders on the continent.

Manchester United had been linked with a move for Sneijder over a number of months and even had the chance to complete a move in the summer of 2011.

However, he stayed put at Inter Milan and his lack of first team chances this season means he could be open to a multi-million high profile deal to go and play football in Turkey for the first time in his career.

He certainly has the experience needed to go and have an impact for the first time in a different country; he made high profile moves to Real Madrid in Spain before moving to Italian giants Inter.

One of the main reasons United were reportedly put off by a possible transfer is the ego which Sneijder has meaning Sir Alex Ferguson effectively didn’t want him getting too big for his boots at Old Trafford.

This is something Galatasaray won’t try and smother, they will encourage it, they will market it and give it a chance to get even bigger. No other top European side will allow this so for Sneijder it’s a bit of a no brainer.

Sneijder will also have a strong desire to start playing first team football again because he was told last November that he would be an outcast until he signed a new deal at Inter.

The only problem was that the proposed deal included a significant pay cut which drastically reduced the current level of Sneijder’s pay packet.

If he is just going to chase the money then Galatasaray could certainly offer him a competitive deal being one of the best teams in Turkey and also due to the high levels of income the club has received, and will continue to receive, from TV rights.

The only possible stumbling block is the Dutchman’s own admission in the time since last November that he would only consider a move to one of the very best teams around Europe.

The only problem with that is that the top teams in Europe will look at his career and be put off from hijacking Galatasaray’s negotiations because there is a reason he keeps getting sold or moved on.

Is a move to Turkey the best thing for Sneijder?

Lewis Doe

@doelewisGoogle+more stories from Lewis Doe

Lewis Doe is a freelance writer and editor who seeks to bring you the biggest, smallest and most interesting stories from the football world. Lewis has previously written for some of the biggest football news and opinion sites in the world including FootballFanCast and Goal.com International. Lewis is also experienced writing in the betting industry and aims to deliver his stories with up to date factual and statistical information. He hopes to sum up stories for the site and provide an angle on the issue moving forward.