The 29-year-old striker has arrived in Istanbul and put pen to paper on a two-year deal with the club.

Kewell turned down a contract offer with Liverpool in May and entered the current transfer window as a free agent, with many clubs across Europe chasing his services.

He was reported to be heading to Celtic, Italy`s Roma or Premier League side Portsmouth, but Galatasaray swooped first.

"I'm ecstatic, I'm thrilled to bits and looking forward to the new challenge," Kewell said www.galatasaray.org. "I can't wait to join the team and get going.

"There's a lot of talk about the Turkish league, it's coming up in the world.

"The national team has done well in the last couple of international tournaments and there's a lot of young talent here.

"It's different and that's what I'm looking forward to - the new challenge.

"It's a new chapter for me, I'm looking forward to it. They've got a great young squad, I'm looking forward to meeting with the boys and training with them."