The midfielder, who will not be able to play a single minute of football for the Catalans until January 2016 due to the club’s transfer ban, was also a rumored target of Manchester United and Chelsea.
Barcelona signed Turkey midfielder Arda Turan from Atletico Madrid for an initial fee of A?24m.
Turan scored 22 goals and gave 32 assists in 176 appearances for Atletico Madrid over the last four years.
He was confirmed as a Barcelona signing yesterday even though he can’t be formally registered until January due to a transfer embargo.
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The signing of Turan is also made complex by the ongoing presidential election campaign. In the absence of a president, “the Catalan club are being administered by a special commission, which had to approve the transfer.”
Turan’s agent Ahmet Bulut claims that it was due to Barcelona boss Luis Enrique and his determination to land the player, that the Turkish international moved to Nou Camp. He also clarified that Chelsea were never even in the running for the player.
He said, “We didn’t talk with Chelsea, Barcelona was the first option.
“We got an agreement because of Luis Enrique’s insistence.”
Chelsea striker Diego Costa, who was signed by the London club last season from Atletico, last week spoke of his desire to team up with Turan.
He said, “It would be fantastic. Arda makes everything so much easier out on the pitch. Arda, Filipe and I function perfectly. And Arda is such a great person. He invited us to eat at his house many times, I really liked his kebab. The whole team would go round to his house for dinner.”
While Arda Turan would have been an astute signing for Chelsea, fans know they haven’t missed out on a one in a million kind of a player and neither would Turan be filling a gaping hole in the Blues side.
