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Wesley Sneijder Completes Galatasaray Move

Liverpool's highest profile transfer target has finalized his move to Turkey, leaving Liverpool's interest behind and finally agreeing terms with Galatasaray.

Claudio Villa

It looks as though discussion as to just how and where Wesley Sneijder might fit into Liverpool's lineup can come to an end, with Galatasaray confirming the Dutch midfielder has agreed personal terms.

Actually gaining Sneijder's signature was a difficult final hurdle for Galatasaray to clear after agreeing terms with Inter Milan, but having finally done so it ends a pursuit by Liverpool that proved equally challenging, with the Dutch midfielder unwilling to agree to a pay cut that would have made a move to England possible. As player with a strong reputation and impressive vita he was always going to command wages commensurate with that experience, even if he's not played regularly for Inter this season, and in the end Liverpool simply weren't willing to meet those demands.

For some he was the perfect buy, representing the type of ambition and willingness to bring in experienced talent that Liverpool needed. For others--and this is the camp I've found myself in--it wasn't an absolute sure-thing, with too many questions about just how much of an impact he'd make given a lack of match action this season and steadily diminishing returns since he moved to Italy. Along with the cost associated, it made Sneijder seem too much of a risk. Plus now he can't jeopardize Jordan Henderson's spot any further, which is win-win for fans of the young Englishman.

And so Liverpool move on, maybe to Philippe Coutinho, maybe to someone we haven't heard of yet. There's less than two weeks left in the window, though, so any business the club is looking to do will have to be sorted soon regardless of whether or not we've heard whisper of it yet.

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