Arda Guler’s future has been the subject of intense speculation over the last few weeks, with the Turkish teenage sensation having recently been linked with several top clubs across European football.
Barcelona and Real Madrid were the favourites to sign Guler, who has now opted to join the latter. The Blaugrana had been in pole position to sign the 18-year-old, but he will instead join their El Clasico rivals.
Guler’s club, Fenerbahce, are very angry about this decision, according to MD. Their President, Ali Koc, would have preferred the Turkish international to join Barcelona, as it would have meant that he would have remained at the club for next season.
Barcelona had agreed a deal with Fenerbahce which would have saw Guler remain in Turkey for 2023-24, before joining next summer. This was because they believed he would not be registered by LaLiga now due to their financial issues.
Ultimately, it is Real Madrid that Guler will be joining this summer, and the deal could be completed very shortly after a fee was agreed with Fenerbahce on Wednesday.
