Arda Turan has reportedly given the green light to make a big-money move to Arsenal from Barcelona in the summer.
According to a report in The Sun, Arda Turan is set to join Arsenal in the summer transfer window after agreeing to make a mega-money move from Barcelona. The clubs, though, are yet to settle on a fee for the Turkish midfielder.
Turan left Atletico Madrid in the summer of 2015 to seal a dream move to Barcelona. But, in what has been an anticlimactic two-year period, the player’s career has come to a grinding halt, as he has struggled to nail down a regular place for himself in the first-team setup at Camp Nou.
The fact that he made a belated start to his Barcelona spell due to the transfer embargo that was imposed on the club did keep him out of action until January 2016. 18 months on, though, and Turan started just 23 league games in addition to a solitary start in the Champions League.
Having failed to become a regular fixture at Camp Nou, speculations have been rife that the player’s spell at Barcelona could be about to come to an end this summer. And one club that has reportedly looked the likeliest to land Turan is Arsenal.
The North Londoners have been long-time admirers of the Turkey international’s talents, and were reported to be vying for his signature in 2015 before he chose to sign with Barcelona. Two seasons later, Arsenal continue to retain an interest in signing him, as they are eager to make attacking reinforcements in the summer.
The Gunners are in a precarious situation with Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil’s future at the Emirates mired in heavy uncertainty. As a result, Arsene Wenger is ready to delve into the transfer market to add a quality attacking player this summer, and he has reportedly set his sights on Turan.
The move to the Emirates will also provide the player with the right platform to resurrect a stuttering career as he can potentially establish himself as a regular in Arsenal’s first-team setup in no time, should he be able to rediscover his best touch.
Meanwhile, as per the report, Barcelona are now ready to cash in on the Turkish midfielder, but are holding out for £26 million. Arsene Wenger, though, is unwilling to shell out the aforementioned sum and is trying to get it reduced.
With Barcelona keen to offload the player, it is likely that the Arsenal boss might get his wish and land Turan in a cut-price deal. It now remains to be seen if the Gunners are able to secure his services this summer.
