In a major development, SPORT is reporting that Barcelona have decided to ‘go with everything’ for the signing of Turkish wonderkid Arda Guler, who is also a target for arch-rivals Real Madrid.
The 18-year-old Fenerbahce prodigy enjoyed an impressive 2022/23 campaign, finishing with six goals and seven assists from 35 games across all competitions.
A number of top teams across Europe have taken note of his talents and have shown an interest in signing the Turkish international.
Real Madrid, for one, are said to be keen while earlier reports also suggested that AC Milan were leading the race for Guler’s capture. It had led to speculations that Barcelona would miss out on the signing of the Turkish attacking midfielder.
However, as per the latest update, Barcelona have now decided to go with all their might for the signing of Guler.
The decision is understood to be coming from soon-to-be sporting director Deco, who sees the 18-year-old as a strategic signing for the Catalans and believes that at €17.5 million, his transfer is too good an opportunity to let go of.
Barcelona had been monitoring Guler for quite some time now and are prepared to go after his signing this summer, with Deco confident that the teenager can make a difference for the team in the short and the long term.
A major concern for the La Liga champions heading into the summer is the Financial Fair Play situation. But, the report states that Barcelona are confident they would not have any issues registering Guler should they be able to sign him.
There are some fears that he could find himself in a situation like Pablo Torre last season with minimal game-time. Hence, Barça will meet with Guler’s agent and put forth an option for him to join the club and leave on loan for a top team where he can play regularly.
However, there is absolute confidence that he can become a part of Xavi Hernandez’s first-team setup in the next season itself.
Deco is understood to be determined to sign Guler and Barcelona are optimistic about his capture despite the competition having laid out some groundwork. However, it remains to be seen if they are able to beat Real Madrid and the rest of his suitors.