Basaksehir Boss Claims Barca Outcast Arda Turan on Verge of Heading Back to Turkey
Arda Turan's Barcelona nightmare is apparently over after the head coach of Turkish club Basaksehir claimed that the forward had joined them.
Abdullah Avci was quoted by Marca as he alleged that the 30-year-old had opted to leave Nou Camp and join his side after two years with the Catalan giants.
Turan had supposedly been eyeing a reunion with Atletico Madrid or returning to Turkish football with Galatasaray.
However, Avci has jumped the gun over any officially confirmed transfer by stating that Turan was now on Basaksehir's books.
He said: "The transfer of Arda will be announced on Thursday or Friday. It hasn't been an easy transfer, Arda has been our goal for many years and I have to thank the president for this signing."
Avci's comments have, however, been given legs by Turan's agent Ahmet Bulut, who also claimed that the Turkey international will complete a switch to Basaksehir Fatih Terim Stadium.
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Bulut said: "Arda has reached an agreement with Basaksehir and he doesn't want to listen to any other offers. He wants to go back to Istanbul."
Turan only joined Barcelona in the 2015 summer transfer window, but was unable to be registered to play until the following January due to a transfer embargo placed on the current La Liga leaders.
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The ex-Maniaspor loanee has only featured 55 times for La Blaugrana in the past two seasons though, and is yet to play under new boss Ernesto Valverde at all this term.
Concerns over Turan's weight led to rumours that he wouldn't be sticking around in north east Spain for too long even after he initially joined, and things have only gone from bad to worse since Valverde replaced Luis Enrique in the hot seat.
Turan had enjoyed something of a fruitful spell for Barca last season as he weighed in with 13 goals and seven assists in 30 matches, but his future clearly lies away from Barcelona at this point.
