“I don’t know” was the response from Barcelona Sporting Director Deco when he was asked why teenage sensation Arda Guler ended up at Real Madrid and not Barcelona last week. The Blaugrana were in for Guler, and despite optimism in a deal for several days, Los Blancos completed the deal shortly after.
According to Sport, Deco feels he was used as a pawn in the Guler negotiation game. When travelling to Turkey he was under the impression a deal was half done, having reached an agreeement with Fenerbahce. Yet he left Istanbul considerably less so, feeling that agreement would be in jeopardy if another major player entered the race. Ultimately, he believes he was used in order to extract more money from Real Madrid.
Toni Juanmarti claims that the total cost of the deal, excluding Guler’s wages, could surpass €50m. The Turkish club are reportedly somewhat frustrated by the fact that the Gulers are taking home more in fixed fees than they are. Guler’s signing bonus is set at €8m, while his father will take home €15m in commissions.
Fenerbahce announced the terms of their deal, which amounts to €20m in fixed fees, €10m in variables and 20% of any future sale.
Either way, it is safe to assume the Guler deal is not cheap in general terms, although it may end up looking like a steal if he reaches his potential.