Drogba joins Turkish club Galatasaray

ISTANBUL (AP)

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Didier Drogba is teaming up with Wesley Sneijder at Galatasaray, giving the Turkish club a second major signing in a week and boosting its chances of making deep run in the Champions League.

Galatasaray announced on its website Monday that Drogba had agreed to an 18-month deal, cutting short his stint in China where he had been playing for Shanghai Shenhua since leaving Chelsea after last season.

It's a second major coup for Galatasaray after Sneijder completed his move from Inter Milan last week, as the Turkish club has now made arguably the two biggest signings of the January transfer window.

Drogba is currently with Ivory Coast at the African Cup of Nations in South Africa, but said on Twitter through his PR company that ''I am looking forward to playing in the Champions League again, against the best clubs in Europe.''

Drogba played a key part in Chelsea's run to the Champions League title last season, scoring a late equalizer in the final and then converting the decisive penalty in a shootout against Bayern Munich.

''The opportunity to play for this great club was an offer that I could not turn down,'' Drogba said.

His representatives, the Sports PR Company, said he will join up with the Galatasaray squad after the African Cup is over.

Galatasaray faces German club Schalke in the round of 16 of the Champions League, with the first leg to be played in Turkey on Feb. 20.

Drogba joined the Shanghai club in July but his lucrative deal soon became part of a boardroom dispute at the club, and the striker had previously asked for a loan deal during the Chinese off-season.