ISTANBUL, Turkey – Mathieu Valbuena, the France international at the centre of an interminable sex-tape scandal, has agreed to join Istanbul giants Fenerbahce from Lyon, the Turkish club said on Monday.
Fenerbahce said in a statement that an agreement in principle had been reached for the 32-year-old attacking midfielder's transfer and the signing would follow later.
The Dogan news agency said that Valbuena was already on his way to Istanbul and would undergo a medical on Tuesday.
Fenerbahce are looking to reinforce their side after finishing well behind champions Besiktas and surprise runners-up Basaksehir of Istanbul in the Turkish Super Lig last season.
Third place gave Fenerbahce entry to the third qualifying round of the Europa League but only a Super Lig championship would satisfy their fans.
Valbuena, whose France career was ended by the sex-tape scandal in which he was the victim of a blackmail attempt, enjoyed a long stint at Marseille up to 2014 before joining Dynamo Moscow and then moving on to Lyon a year later.
He scored eight goals in 52 France appearances from 2010 to 2015.
Meanwhile, AC Milan are on the verge of capturing Portugal sensation Andre Silva from Porto as the resurgent Serie A giants continue to build for next season.
Exclusive: @andrevsilva19was put through his paces at Milanello! 🏃🏻
Esclusiva: primi test a Milanello per André Silva! 🏃🏻 pic.twitter.com/XzpyNEpuCT
— AC Milan (@acmilan) June 12, 2017
Television pictures early on Monday showed Silva, often described as the "the new Cristiano Ronaldo", on his way to undergo a medical in Milan.
The 21-year-old striker was a reported target for a number of top European clubs.
But after Milan failed in bids to land Andrea Belotti from Torino and Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang from Borussia Dortmund, Silva is now expected to sign for the seven-time European champions.
He would become their fourth recruit in as many weeks following the signing of Swiss left-back Ricardo Rodriguez (Wolfsburg), Ivorian Franck Kessie (Atalanta) and Argentinian centre-back Mateo Musaccio.
Milan were recently sold to Chinese investors by long-time club owner Silvio Berlusconi in a bid to inject fresh impetus into their attempt to rejoin the elite of European football.