ISTANBUL (AP) — France midfielder Mattéo Guendouzi moved to Fenerbahce from Lazio as he tries to reclaim a place in the national team squad ahead of the World Cup.

Fenerbahce is chasing its first Turkish league title for 12 years and said late Thursday the 26-year-old Guendouzi signed a 4 1/2-year contract.

The fee for the former Arsenal and Marseille player was not stated though was reportedly 28 million euros ($32.6 million).

Fenerbahce, which started the season with José Mourinho as coach before firing him in August, is still unbeaten in the Turkish league but trails fierce rival and defending champion Galatasaray by three points.

The team now led by former Belgium coach Domenico Tedesco is 12th in the 36-team Europa League standings with two rounds left this month. Guendouzi will be eligible for the knockout phase starting in February if Fenerbahce advances.

Guendouzi was in the France squad that reached the final at the last World Cup in Qatar but was not selected for the 2024 European Championship. He also did not play in France’s World Cup qualifying group during the first half of this season.

France was drawn into a World Cup group with Senegal, Norway and the winner of a playoff bracket featuring Iraq, Bolivia and Suriname.

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