Arsenal are ready to offer Barcelona a bid for attacker Arda Turan, who is on the verge of leaving the club for around £34m this summer, according to the reports from Spanish outlet Sport.
The Turkish international shot to fame at Galatasaray before departing to Atletico Madrid in 2011, where he developed into be one of the best attacking midfielders Europe. He joined Barcelona last summer and took over the No.7 shirt from outgoing forward Pedro.
The 29-year-old ace endured a difficult first season at the Nou Camp Stadium, making just 13 starts in all competitions.
The main reason for this was, of course, the transfer ban on Barcelona, that disallowed them to play their summer arrivals in Arda Turan and Aleix Vidal. Both players only featured after the first half of the season was over. However, Arda has found himself benched frequently in spite the ban being lifted.
The Turkish star could now be on the move again this summer as he wants more playing time, and the news outlet claims that the Gunners are ready to offer Barcelona a bid for the attacker.
Galatasaray are understood to the be the club in the driving seat as they have already held talks with Barcelona about a possible deal, though Arsenal should win the race if manager Arsene Wenger makes the club’s interest in the highly rated attacker formal over the coming days.
The news outlet suggests that the La Liga champions are willing to at least break by asking for the same price they paid for the midfielder when they bought him from Athletico Madrid .
There is doubt whether a player in his 30’s is worth that much, and even if he is whether he is an upgrade over the squad is still open to debate.
The Turkish international is versatile on his day at the Vicente Calderon. He can play either on the wing or in the middle which could give Wenger many options up front, and could be a perfect foil for Ozil’s vision in the final third.
The arrival Turan to the Emirates Stadium could see Theo Walcott out of the Gunners team – who has strongly been linked with a move away from Arsenal this summer after going through a difficult term with the Gunners last season.
