Ante Rebic is now on the ground in Istanbul and is expected to imminently complete his transfer from Milan to Besiktas, which is now only an official announcement away.
The former Croatia took a private jet over from Italy and was greeted by substantial crowds at the airport in Istanbul, including a number of journalists waiting to hear his first thoughts after arriving in Turkey.
Rebic told them: “I’m glad to be here and I can’t wait to start to meet the players and the coach and to start a new chapter.”
It is believed that Milan will receive a minute fee from Rebic’s move, thought to be €500,000 guaranteed, plus up to €1.5m in additional bonuses.
Rebic had been earning €3.5m per season at San Siro and it is believed that Milan could save up to €14m over the next few years, taxes included, by getting him off their wage bill.
The 29-year-old has reportedly agreed to a wage cut to join Besiktas, where he will reportedly take home around €2.5m per season.