Details of Barcelona’s offer for €17.5 million-rated Turkish prodigy – report

Real Madrid appeared to be the frontrunner in the race to sign Arda Guler, who has become the hottest prospect in the transfer market right now.

However, Barcelona are making a last-gasp effort to steal a march on Real Madrid. It seems the Catalans have made a proposal to Fenerbahce’s representatives, offering the chance to sign the player next season.

According to Sercan Hamzaoglu, Barcelona officials met Ali Koc, the Fenerbahce president. They also met Burak Kizilhan, another prominent board member of the Turkish outfit. Barça offered to sign the player after a year.

The offer meant Arda Guler could continue at Fenerbahce next season before joining Barcelona next year. Furthermore, as per the terms offered, while the youngster stays back in Turkey for the 2023/24 season, the Blaugrana would be covering his entire wages.

However, the Catalan club would pay most of the transfer fees after a year due to the club’s ongoing economic constraints.

Fenerbahce officials acknowledged the offer and subsequently informed the player and his family. The club told the player’s entourage they were looking forward to the offer.

Club president Ali Koc told Guler and his entourage that Barça would be the right destination for him and staying at Fenerbahce one more year would be beneficial for his development before he can move to Catalonia in 2024.

Following that, Guler and his family feel positive about Barcelona’s offer. However, he needs time to think, especially in the midst of speculations linking him to every top club in Europe.

The youngster is set to have a meeting with Ismael Kartal, the Fenerbahce coach. During the meeting, he will learn about his role in the first team next season and how the club plan to go about it. The Turkish club must convince Guler of their plans if the player is to join Barcelona next year.

Barcelona, therefore, will be keeping close tabs on Guler’s situation in the coming days. While they have certainly disrupted Real Madrid’s plans by making an official bid for Guler, the deal is far from done and it will be interesting to see how things transpire in the near future.

Player valuation in title obtained from transfermarkt.com on date of publication.