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

As communicated, 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.

“LaLiga allows us to do operations that don’t count for this year,” Laporta said, communicating that this is the plan as the Catalans play the long game and look 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, and Guler who wants continuity playing in their first team to grow professionally before making the switch to an elite club such as Barca where he will have positional rivalry from the likes of Ilkay Gundogan, Pedri and Gavi among others.

With his country the 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 played 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.

Barca 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.