Arda Turan is determined to remain at Barcelona this summer and fight for his place, despite heavy interest from Arsenal and Chelsea, according to the player’s agent.
It was reported earlier this week that Barcelona would be willing to let Turan leave for £23million after a disappointing first season at the Catalan giants.
The Turkey midfielder was unable to play for the first half of the season because of Barcelona’s transfer embargo and when finally eligible, he featured for only 810 minutes in the league, scoring two goals and providing four assists.
However the 29-year-old is keen to stay with the Spanish champions, despite reports that Arsenal and Chelsea are keen to sign the midfielder.
“The interest [in Arda] is normal but the rumours saying he is leaving Barcelona are false, he is happy at the club,” the agent, Ahmet Bulut, told the Guardian.
Turan spent four years at Atletico Madrid, scoring 22 goals and providing 32 assists in 177 games. Along with winning the club’s first league title for over a decade under Diego Simeone, as well as the Copa del Rey, Europa League and European Super Cup before joining Barcelona for €34m on a five-year deal last summer.
Barcelona president, Josep Maria Bartomeu, said recently: “The coaching staff count on Arda Turan and we thank both him and Aleix [Vidal] for the patience they showed to go six months without being able to play.”
Leave a Reply