Fenerbahçe confirm Dutch striker Van Persie’s arrival


Fenerbahçe confirmed on Sunday that Dutch international striker Robin Van Persie would arrive in Istanbul later in the day ahead of his eagerly-awaited transfer from Manchester United."We expect Robin Van Persie to arrive at 7:30 pm (1630 GMT)," the club said in a statement, adding he would be landing at Sabiha Gökçen airport on the Asian side of Istanbul.The club has also shared Persie and his family's picture on Twitter just before their plane took off. Fenerbahçe's chairman Aziz Yıldırım had on Saturday announced the transfer of Van Persie was a done deal and, according to Turkish press reports, his formal signing ceremony is expected on Monday.Fenerbahçe -- runners up to Istanbul rivals Galatasaray last season in the championship -- have gone on a spending spree in a bid to dominate the Super Lig and be a real contender in Europe.This week, Fenerbahçe signed Portuguese star Nani also from United for six million euros (£4.26m, $6.7m) and in June bought Danish centre-back Simon Kjaer from French side Lille.Nani was given a hero's welcome by hundreds of fans at the airport when he arrived in Turkey and Van Persie should expect a similar reception in Istanbul.According to press reports, Van Persietarget="_blank"'>In Turkey, Van Persie will be lining up against another fellow member of the Netherlands' so-called "golden generation", Wesley Sneijder, who plays for arch rivals Galatasaray.