Barca candidate backs Turan deal

Posted Monday, July 06, 2015 by Foxsports.com

Barcelona presidential candidate Josep Maria Bartomeu has given his blessing for the club's interim management to sign Atletico Madrid's wantaway midfielder Arda Turan.

Last week, El Mundo Deportivo reported that Barca's interim management had decided to postpone the signing of the player until the club's presidential elections are held on July 18.

The Turkey captain revealed his agent is in talks with a number of clubs, with the British press linking him with the likes of Manchester United, Manchester City, Liverpool, Chelsea and Arsenal in recent years.

His agent, Ahmed Bulut, claimed six clubs are interested in a deal this summer, including AC Milan and PSG, so a delay could see the Barcelona miss out on one of Luis Enrique's primary transfer targets - something Bartomeu doesn't want to see.

"Luis Enrique has won everyone's confidence and he deserved that they listen to him in signing Arda Turan, who is a great player," the presidential candidate told El Mundo Deportivo.

"I tell the interim management as a candidate to the presidency that I have no problem if Arda Turan is signed as requested by Luis Enrique."

Turan has two years left on his contract at Atletico and, should his move to the Nou Camp materialise, the Turkish midfielder would not be able to play an official game for Enrique's side until January 2016, due to a transfer ban imposed by FIFA on the club for breaching rules over the signings of under-age players.

That ban has not stopped Barca, who are coming off a campaign that saw them win La Liga, the Copa del Rey and Champions League, from already adding winger Aleix Vidal from Sevilla.