What's the story?
After the 4-0 humbling at the hands of Paris Saint-Germain, FC Barcelona are reported to have started work on identifying summer targets. One player whose Barcelona future is uncertain is Arda Turan, who may or may not be at the Nou Camp for the next season.
However, according to CNN Turk, Barcelona, on the request of Luis Enrique, recently turned down a £60 million bid for the Turkish midfielder from an unnamed Chinese club.
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Despite facing a transfer ban at the time, Barcelona signed Turan back in 2015 from Atletico Madrid. He was ineligible to play for six months as the club was not allowed to register him due to the ban.
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However, the 30-year-old has scored 13 goals and has managed seven assists this season as a slow start to the current campaign was converted into a goalscoring blitzkrieg by the Turk. His hat-trick in the Champions League group stage win over Borussia Monchengladbach made him one of only six Barcelona players to have ever scored a treble in the competition.
The heart of the matter
Turan's agent, Ahmed Bulut apparently put forward a deal from a Chinese club for the Turkish international after the Catalans’ defeat at the hands of the Parisians. However, it is also reported that Enrique rejected all offers for the midfielder as he wants Turan at the club for the business end of the season.
Marca had reported earlier that the Spanish club had rejected a £40 million bid from a Chinese club for Turan last month. The Far East club were ready to offer Turan a £14 million per year deal for three and a half years. It was Enrique that came in the way again to stop the deal from going through, though.
What's next?
The 30-year-old is considered to be one of the manager’s favourite players and this is evident from the fact that the Spanish manager rejected numerous Chinese bids for the player. With rumours circulating that Enrique will leave Barcelona at the end of the season, club president Josep Bartomeu has gone on record to say that the former Barcelona player will take a decision in April.
Turan’s future could possibly depend on whether Enrique stays at the club or not. If the manager does indeed leave at the end of the season, the Turk could follow him through the exit doors.
Sportskeeda's Take
Right now, it seems unlikely that the 30-year-old would want to head out to China seeing that he is still in his prime and has a few seasons at the top level left in him.
