FC Barcelona Reach Agreement In Principle For Arda Guler: Reports

FC Barcelona look to have beaten Real Madrid to Arda Guler’s signature by reaching an agreement in principle with the Turkish pearl, according to Gerard Romero.

Barca president Joan Laporta admitted on TV3 this week that his club were working on the potential transfer, with sporting director Deco traveling to Istanbul to negotiate with the youngster’s club Fenerbahce.

SPORT reported Barca were “optimistic” about landing Arda because of conversations that had taken place in Turkey’s largest city, and that they were “currently in pole position in the race to obtain the services of one of the most promising players on the continent”.

As communicated by this, several clubs are vying for Guler’s signature, with Barca’s bitter rivals Real Madrid also in the running.

According to Romero, however, Barca have an agreement in principle to sign the 18-year-old, who would join in 2024.

“La Liga allows us to do operations that don’t count for this year,” Laporta said on TV3, indicating that this is the plan as the Catalans play the long game and try to incorporate Guler and Brazilian teen sensation Vitor Roque a year from now.

This arrangement also suits Fenerbahce, who would like to hold on to the player for another year, plus Guler who wants continuity playing in their first team to grow professionally before making the switch to an elite club according to SPORT.

At Barca, Guler will encounter positional rivalry from the likes of Ilkay Gundogan, Pedri, Gavi and Pablo Torre among others meaning he isn’t guaranteed playing time.

With his country top of their qualifying group for the tournament, Guler is also likely to land in Catalonia as a starting member of the Turkey national team who will have contested Euro 2024 in Germany in June and July next year.

Guler’s release clause is an affordable €17.5 million ($19 million), so Deco has pulled off a masterstroke by seemingly securing the youngster now before the figure rises and becomes out of reach for a cash-strapped Barca.

The Blaugrana might only have to pay Fenerbahce a fraction of that relatively low fee now to secure Guler, and could then be in a much stronger financial predicament in 2024 to pay the rest of the money owed to the Super Lig giants.

Over at Mundo Deportivo, they report that Fenerbahce have demanded 20% of any future sale of Guler and that both the club and player want him to sign for Barca immediately as opposed to being loaned back to Turkey.