MELBOURNE, Australia (AP) -Former Liverpool midfielder Harry Kewell has signed a three-year contract with Turkish club Galatasaray, local media and the team's web site said Friday.
Kewell, 29, was available to the Turkish champions on a free transfer after he was cut by Liverpool earlier this year following five injury-troubled seasons at Anfield.
Italian club Roma and English Premier League side Portsmouth had also been linked with Kewell.
The move to Galatasaray ended any possibility of Kewell being one of Australia's three overage players at the Beijing Olympics. Fellow Socceroos Archie Thompson, David Carney and Jade North were the three over-23 players in coach Graham Arnold's Olympic squad named Friday.
During his time with Leeds, Kewell played against Galatasaray in the UEFA Cup semifinal in 2000, when he was sent off.
Kewell was frequently criticized in the British media for missing so many matches at Liverpool, which he joined in 2003 on a lucrative contract from Leeds. He has struggled with injuries again this season.
Kewell scored a goal and helped set up another in Australia's 3-1 win over Qatar last month that guaranteed Australia a place in the second round of Asian qualifying for the 2010 World Cup.
