Barcelona were in pole position to sign Arda Guler on Monday night according to a number of reports, but by Tuesday evening, it appeared clear that Real Madrid were the only winner in the battle to secure his signature. Not only did they offer a key term that satisfied the player, Los Blancos were able to offer a far superior financial package.
Guler was keen to leave Fenerbahce this summer, whereas Barcelona would have left him in Turkey next season, something Real Madrid are offering.
Earlier details emerged of the fee that Real Madrid were willing to pay, which had a top end of €28m. Now Toni Juanmarti has revealed that the cost of the deal could exceed €50m, not including Guler’s salary.
El fichaje de Arda Güler por el Real Madrid, sin contar el salario del jugador, podría acabar superando los 50M.
La comisión del padre superará los 15M y, además, la oferta inicial al club turco fue mejorada a petición de la familia del jugador.
¿Caro o barato? Los años dirán.
— Toni Juanmartí (@tjuanmarti) July 6, 2023
According to his information, Guler’s father will receive more than €15m in commission for the deal, almost the same amount as his release clause €17.5m.
Having said that, it does seem a rather high estimation, if the figures for the deal are correct, in which case the commission would have to reach around €22m, which seems unlikely.
No doubt the hidden costs will raise the total bill for Los Blancos significantly. While Guler has a relatively low release clause, it is not out of the ordinary to see such a fee for what some believe to be the one of the most talented 18-year-olds around currently. Whether it represents value, as Juanmarti observes, can only be determined with time.
Gossip, not news.