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Besiktas in double swoop for Portugal stars

Hugo Almeida has been the lynchpin of the Werder Bremen attack in recent seasons.
Hugo Almeida has been the lynchpin of the Werder Bremen attack in recent seasons.
STORY HIGHLIGHTS
  • Besiktas sign striker Hugo Almeida from Bundesliga Werder Bremen
  • Almeida joins fellow Portugal international Simao at the Turkish side
  • Barcelona unveil latest signing Ibrahim Afellay from PSV Eindhoven
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(CNN) -- Faltering Besiktas have re-inforced their ranks by acquiring their second Portugal international star this week as Hugo Almeida signed Friday for the Turkish side.

Almeida has been given a three-year deal after switching from Bundesliga Werder Bremen for €2 million ($2.62 million).

The 26-year-old has been at Bremen since 2006 -- scoring 41 goals in 117 appearances -- with reports saying he has left after failing to agree a new deal.

Almeida, who has also scored 12 goals in 33 games for his country, joins fellow Portugal international Simao at the 13-time Turkish champions.

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Simao, who played in the Portugal side which reached the Euro 2004 final and the semifinals of the 2006 World Cup, joins from Atletico Madrid for €7 million ($9.18 million) on a two-and-half-year deal.

The 31-year-old retired from international football after this year's World Cup having made 85 appearances.

The pair will join a team which has slipped to fifth in the Turkish standings, 14 points behind leaders Bursaspor.

Meanwhile, in other transfer news Friday, Dutch international Ibrahim Afellay has been unveiled at Spanish champions Barcelona.

Barcelona sign Dutch star Afellay

The 24-year-old Afellay has passed his medical to complete his reported €3 ($3.94 million) move from PSV Eindhoven.

The midfielder, who has been capped 29 times, said it had always been his ambition to play for the Catalan giants.

"When I was a kid, I wanted to play for Barça -- it was a dream," he told the club's official website.

"We all know that it is the best place to play football and when I heard about their interest I didn't think twice, I just felt -- sign now and close the deal quickly."