Sneijder leaves Galatasaray after four years

Istanbul, Turkey: Istanbul giants Galatasaray said that Dutch international midfielder Wesley Sneijder was leaving the club by mutual agreement after over four seasons that saw him become a big favourite with fans.

"Our club is parting with Wesley Sneijder," Galatasaray said in a statement late on Friday. "We sincerely wish Wesley Sneijder all the best in his future career."

The news of his departure sparked angry protests overnight in front of club headquarters in the Florya district of Istanbul, with fans calling for the resignation of club chairman Dursun Ozbek, the state-run Anadolu news agency said. 

Sneijder, 33, joined Galatasaray in January 2013, scoring 46 goals in 175 appearances for the team.

However with the team in the last two years failing to mount a successful Super Lig challenge and going through a succession of managers, the midfielder had long been rumoured to be unsettled.

Galatasaray said Sneijder's contract had been terminated by mutual agreement and he had waived his salary of 4.5 million euros ($5.2 million) he had been due to be paid this year.