Harry Kewell has revealed he is looking forward to playing his club football in Turkey ahead of his proposed move to Galatasaray.

The 29-year-old, who was released by Liverpool this summer, arrived in Istanbul on Friday evening and is thought to be in the process of agreeing a three-year deal with the Turkish champions.

The Australian international turned down a contract extension with Liverpool in May and entered the current transfer period as a free agent, sparking interest from a number of European clubs.

He was reported to be heading to Celtic, Italy's Roma or Portsmouth, but Galatasaray swooped first.

"I'm ecstatic, I'm thrilled to bits and looking forward to the new challenge," Kewell said.

"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."