Newcastle fans’ hopes of seeing the club land the ‘Turkish Messi’ Arda Guler have been dealt a potential blow after Barcelona president Joan Laporta revealed that the Catalan giants are actively working to sign up the Fenerbahce star.
Six goals and seven assists in 35 appearances doesn’t quite seem to justify the moniker, but left-footed attack-minded players are going to attract the ‘nationality + Messi’ treatment now we suppose.
That comparison would go one step further if Guler were indeed to complete a move to Camp Nou, with Football Insider reporting that he has a £15m release clause in his contract that remains triggerable unless Fenerbahce are able to get him tied down to a new contract.
Their report on Wednesday morning suggested that Newcastle United and Arsenal were both in a ‘race against the clock’ to sign Guler, and Barcelona supremo Laporta has now gone on the record to effectively confirm that by announcing that his new director of football, Deco, is pursuing a deal.
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Journalist Fabrizio Romano quotes Laporta as saying: “Deco is now working on Arda Guler. La Liga allow us to carry out the operations that do not count for this year [without running afoul of financial fair play].
“Our scouting department was following Arda. We also have Deco's opinion. We are trying to complete the deal for next year.”
Quite whether that means ‘for next season’ or ‘for next summer’ is unclear, but we presume the former, and if Barcelona win that race, Newcastle would have to look elsewhere to spend their money.
