Just when it seemed Barcelona were about to pounce on the opportunity to sign young Turkish sensation Arda Guler, their perennial rivals Real Madrid were on hand to disrupt their plans.
The Spanish capital club made a proposal for the Fenerbahce starlet, which convinced him to make the move to the Santiago Bernabeu. Although nothing has been official yet, everything suggests the youngster is set to join Real Madrid ahead of the new season.
Barcelona, though, are not ready to give up just yet. According to SPORT, the club will make a last-gasp attempt to convince Guler to make a fabulous U-turn on his reported decision to join Real Madrid.
Barça, after all, had gone to great lengths to reach an agreement with Fenerbahce. Everything was close to completion and was subject to Guler’s approval. But Real Madrid’s late offer meant Barcelona were left behind in the race to sign the young Turk.
But without any official announcement, Barcelona refuse to give up just yet. The club’s new sporting director Deco is set to play a crucial role in helping the Blaugrana remit their final proposal to the player, although no details have emerged as of yet.
The report suggests Guler will make his decision public in the next few hours. Barcelona themselves are in agreement that signing the Fenerbahce starlet could be very difficult, even though they were confident of signing the player not more than 36 hours ago.
In the meantime, Barcelona appear to have succeeded in the pursuit of another young talent in Vitor Roque. The Brazilian should join the Catalan outfit in 2024, in what could be a major boost for Xavi Hernandez. Now whether or not Guler can follow suit, remains to be seen.
