Arda Turan: On His Way to the Nou Camp?

Rumors surrounding Arda Turan’s departure from Atletico Madrid have become a regular feature in the past few years but each time the Turkish mid-fielder managed to remain at the Vincente Calderon. But this time around his move to Barcelona could be for real. The Catalans are set to beat Chelsea to a £25 million signing of the speedy Atletico midfielder.

Arda Turan’s ascendance as a player at Atletico is in tandem with the club’s meteoric rise from ashes to glory under the managerial brilliance of Diego Simeone. Turan thrived under the Argentine’s hard-driving tutelage at the Calderon where he became a complete player. So fitting into a Barcelona outfit coached by another exacting task-master in the form of Luis Enrique would not be a problem for the mercurial Turk.

A brilliant dribbler, a dazzling runner along the wings, a wonderful creator of spaces and a power house of creativity, the 28-year old Adran could very well find himself in perfect company at the Nou Camp.

Although this has not been one of his better seasons with Atletico, he was the perfect foil to the likes of Diego Costa, Antoine Griezmann and Raul Jiminez when the Madrid club found glory in 2013 and 2014. It is hoped that his qualities which are not dissimilar to that of Andres Iniesta will help him fill into the shoes of the great Barcelona and Spanish midfielder at Nou Camp. This does take away anything from Iniesta, who at 31 is still able to produce magic on the field. Turan will be expected to fill in the space vacated by another club legend, Xavi Hernadez, who will be bidding adieu to Barcelona soon. While the finesse and artistry of the brilliant Xavi will be missed in the midfield, Turan will bring in an explosive version of play to that vital position with his spontaneity and direct style. The prospect of him combining with Barca’s power trio of Messi-Neymar-Suarez could set fans’ hearts racing.

If Turan were to move to Barcelona soon, it would be sad not to see him play for the club till the beginning of 2016 when the FIFA ban on transfers will be lifted.

Arda Turan had joined Atletico Madrid in 2011 and has played as many as 137 games for the club. The Turk was slated to stay with the Rojiblancos till 2017. Despite the player’s manager Ahmed Bulut insisting that he had not spoken to Barcelona as late as Wednesday night, the clamor for Turan’s arrival at Nou Camp has reached such frenzied levels that anything to the contrary would be a great anti-climax.