Smeltz lured to Turkey

The Gold Coast United striker was not at training on Tuesday morning and instead boarded a flight to Turkey, after the two clubs agreed a deal in principle.

Smeltz, who reneged on a deal with Chinese club Shandong Luneng last month, has made no secret of his desire to try his luck outside of the A-League and is looking at a two-year deal with the Ankara club.

“Gold Coast United’s owner, Clive Palmer, CEO Clive Mensink and Miron Bleiberg have all been fantastic with me since I returned from China and I would like to place on record my sincere thanks for everything they have done and all their support,” Smeltz said.

“Genclerbirligi are a stable club who play in a strong competition and I’m looking forward to holding discussions with them over the next couple of days.”

The 29-year-old is due to undergo a medical at Genclerbirligi and should sign a deal once he has reached an agreement over personal terms.

"Naturally, we will be sorry to see Shane go but we are pleased that he may now be able to pursue his dream of playing with a major overseas club,” Mensink said.

“He has been the subject of constant transfer speculation since he returned from China, but to his credit has remained focussed on his job at Gold Coast United, which was illustrated by his tremendous performance in Wellington recently.

“If this transfer is completed we wish him all the very best for the future.”