Spanish giants FC Barcelona are ready to offload Turkish midfielder Arda Turan to Arsenal for a transfer fee in the region of €30 million, according to CNN Turk.
The 30-year-old has yet to secure a starting spot in his second season at the Catalan club, so it would be no surprise if he decided to leave as his role in the squad is unlikely to change.
It is not as if Turan was only given a rotational role in the squad because of bad performances as he has actually performed well in the games he has featured in, scoring 12 goals and providing four assists in 34 appearances with three of those goals coming from a 4-0 victory over Borussia Moenchengladbach in the Champions League.
The only reason the Turkish international does not have a regular starting role in the squad is because the mercurial talents of the likes of Lionel Messi, Neymar, and Andres Iniesta, who are ahead of him in the pecking order.
However, the creative midfielder may find grabbing a consistent starting spot just a bit easier at Arsenal, who are currently seven points adrift of a Champions League spot, sitting in 6th place in the Premier League.
The North London club look likely to miss out on the Champions League next season with seven points looking a gap too large to cover with only seven games left to play this season and the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, and Liverpool sitting ahead of them in the table.
Arsenal fans will have to look as far back as 1997 to find the last time they missed out on Champions League football.
With Arsenal in need of a strong league campaign next season to get back into Europe’s elite competition and stars Mesut Ozil and Alexis Sanchez rumored to be leaving the Emirates, the Gunners will be in the market for reinforcements this summer and signing a strong, creative talent such as Arda Turan is the perfect way to start the upcoming transfer window.
