On 20 August 2012, Bulut made his first appearance in the 2012–13 Süper Lig season against Kasımpaşa as he was included in the starting eleven, and he scored a brace for Galatasaray as the game finished 2–1.

His five league goals in the first four weeks of the season surpassed the record set by Saša Ilić.

On 19 October, Bulut scored an crucial goal for Galatasaray against Gençlerbirliği, helping his side come from 1–3 down to tie the game 3–3.

After disappointing performances in both the Süper Lig and Champions League during the month of October, Bulut returned with another excellent match as he scored the opener against Kayserispor in a 3–0 win.

Following his successful loan spell, Galatasaray officially signed Bulut from Toulouse on a 3+1 year deal for €2.7 million.

Bulut then scored a hat-trick against Andorra in Turkey's 5–0 World Cup qualifier win on 6 September 2013.

[9] On 14 March 2016, it was revealed that Umut Bulut's father Kemal had been killed in a terrorist attack in Ankara during the previous day, shortly after he had watched Galatasaray's match against Gençlerbirliği.