Barcelona midfielder Arda Turan is set to join former club Galatasaray on loan. Spain's sports daily Marca and RAC1 station alleged that Arda Turan will move to Galatasaray on a two-year loan deal, with no place for him in coach Ernesto Valverde's plans.
According to RAC1 radio station, this means that Turan will still have one year remaining on his Barcelona contract when this stint back at his boyhood club comes to an end. The 30-year-old moved to the Camp Nou from Atletico Madrid just two summers ago for a cost of 34 million euros.
According to CNN Turk, Turan's agent Ahmet Bulut met recently with Barcelona officials to discuss a potential transfer deal and the talks went smoothly, with the 30-year-old now expected to join his former club on loan for the 2017-2018 season.
He will be given an annual salary of 5 million euros, 3 million of which will be paid by Galatasaray, who finished fourth in the league last season, reaching the second qualifying round for this season's Europa League, as Beşiktaş were crowned national champions, according to CNN Turk. The remaining 2 million euros of Turan's wages will be paid by the NEF, a real estate firm that sponsors both Barcelona and Galatasaray, with the move expected to be confirmed.
The report also claims Manchester United were previously interested in signing Turan, who is unlikely to have much of a future in Barcelona after failing to impress during his two seasons at the club, but Galatasaray acted first to secure the former Turkey international's signature.
Turan's best form came during his time with Atletico Madrid, where he scored 22 goals in 178 appearances for Diego Simeone's side, helping the club win La Liga title back in 2013-2014, beating the likes of Barcelona and Real Madrid to the championship.
Arda previously spent five years on the Turkish side's first team, winning a league, cup and Super Cup during his stint, before joining Atletico Madrid in 2011. Since moving to the Camp Nou in 2015 the midfielder has struggled to nail down a first-team place, but has scored 19 goals in 53 appearances across all competitions.
