The race to sign Arda Güler is reaching an important phase and it seems as though Barcelona are the team currently in pole position to land him, a report claims.
Read SempreMilan ad-free and get access to exclusive news. Click here for a free trial!
According to a report from Calciomercato.com, Barcelona director Deco went on a personal mission to Turkey to try and make ground in the talks over Güler, and they have now overtaken Paris Saint-Germain and Milan among others.
Barca have pitched their project to the player and his father while Fenerbahce approve of the transfer formula suggested, which is the payment of his €17.5m clause plus a 20% future resale clause.
One of the conditions that Barcelona appear willing to satisfy – with the promise of being able to pay the clause over two years and thus remain in line with their delicate financial situation – is to leave Güler with Fenerbahce for another season.
However, the Catalan club need to significantly lower their salary before registering new signings and this is the reason why Ilkay Gundogan – signed on a free from Manchester City – has not yet been registered fully.
The next few days are considered decisive for Barcelona to use the advantage gained this week. At the moment, none of Real Madrid, Sevilla or Milan seem to be in a position to stop them.
The Rossoneri strongly wanted the 18-year-old and were even ready to use up their last slot reserved for non-EU players, but they are unable to satisfy the requests of the player’s family, who want a big commission.
