Altintop secures Augsburg switch

Augsburg have completed the signing of Halil Altintop following the termination of his Trabzonspor contract.

The 30-year-old moves on a free transfer and has signed a two-year contract at a club that narrowly avoided relegation by securing 15th position last season.

It sees a return to the Bundesliga for the Turkey international after previous spells at Kaiserslautern, Schalke and Frankfurt.

Speaking to the club’s official website he said: “It’s great to be able to come back to Germany and to the Bundesliga.

“I am really looking forward to my time with Augsburg.”

Coach Markus Weinzierl has been looking to boost his forward options following the end of the loan deals for South Korean forwards Ja-Cheol Koo and Ji Dong-Won, and expressed his delight to land a player of Altintop’s experience.

“Halil Altintop has proven his quality (and) not only in the Bundesliga, with over 200 appearances and 47 goals,” he added.

“I am delighted that we are getting an experienced forward who will be able to improve our team, not only sportingly, but also with his leadership qualities.”