Arda Turan in talks with English teams as the Turkish international confirms his departure

Arda Turan prefers to play in England after confirming his exit from Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid midfielder Arda Turan confirmed his exit from Atletico Madrid via his agent and is now in talks with his potential suitors with a transfer set to be finalised in the next few days.

His agent Ahmed Bulut had earlier told Spanish newspaper AS of his player’s willingness to leave for new pastures and of his preference to play for an English club.

“His intention is to leave Spain this summer. His will is to leave and to play in the Premier League, that is the path he would like to take to continue his career. We are currently in talks with three teams but I cannot reveal the names of the clubs. However, I can tell you that they are the best in England and in European football."

Atletico’s stand on Turan

The Turkish representative had also added how difficult it was to convince the Spanish capital club to let one of their star players leave before the club gave in to their player’s wishes.

“Our decision really surprised Atletico Madrid. They don’t want Arda to leave and were persistent but in the end, they respected and accepted our decision. But of course, nothing is completely done until he signs. However, we made sure the message was clear that we wanted to leave Atletico.”

Turan started his career with Galatasaray where he rose to prominence with his impressive displays for the club. His performances for the Turkish giants caught Atletico Madrid’s eye who signed him for a fee of €12 million in 2011, that made him the most expensive Turkish footballer of all-time.

In his four-year stay with the Rojablancos, the Turkish star has taken his game to another level, becoming instrumental to his team’s success that included the historic 2013/14 league title as well as finishing runners-up in the Champions League during that season. Turan was nominated for the UEFA Team of the Year for 2014 and was ranked 38th in "The 100 best footballers in the world" by The Guardian during the same year.

Major European clubs, including the likes of Manchester United, Chelsea, PSG and Barcelona are believed to be interested in the 28-year-old, who has a £29m release clause in his contract.

The Turkish footballer took to social media to confirm the talks -

The transfer rumors are not entirely correct. My agent is currently in touch with 3-4 clubs. I will update you all if a deal is made.

— Arda Turan (@ArdaTuran10line) June 28, 2015