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ARD TIMES

Arsenal are put on red alert as Barcelona ace Arda Turan plans January exit

The Turkish midfielder hasn't played a single minute since the arrival of Ernesto Valverde and believes a move from Barcelona will resurrect his career

ARDA TURAN has come to terms with the fact his stay at Barcelona has come to an end and is reportedly set to leave the club in January - sparking renewed interest from Arsenal.

The versatile midfielder was deemed surplus to requirements when new boss Ernesto Valverde took over and remains exiled from the first team.

 Arda Turan's fate at Barcelona has been sealed and he will seek a move from the club
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Arda Turan's fate at Barcelona has been sealed and he will seek a move from the clubCredit: Reuters

Turan is aware a move may be the only way to save his career and will soon sit down with his agents to discuss his options, according to IBTimes.

The Catalan club attempted but failed to offload the 30-year-old during the summer transfer window in  a bid to recoup some of the £30.5million they splashed out for him in 2015 from Atletico Madrid.

Rumours of a move to Arsenal and the Chinese Super League emerged, but Turan decided to stay at his club and honour his contract which expires in 2020.

Turan is currently away on international duty with Turkey having come out of a brief international retirement.

 While on international duty the Turkish midfielder said his exile from the first team has affected him mentally
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While on international duty the Turkish midfielder said his exile from the first team has affected him mentallyCredit: Getty - Contributor
 Turan will sit down with his agents to discuss his future
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Turan will sit down with his agents to discuss his futureCredit: Rex Features

Ahead of his match against Iceland, the former Atletico man spoke candidly about his banishment from the first team.

He said: "It has been a while since I played and it is not easy. It means games become as much a mental question as a physical one.

"I want to do what the coach asks of me and form a part of a historic day like this one."

If Arsenal were to make a move for Turan they would likely face strong competition from his boyhood club Galatasaray.

The president of the Turkish giants, Dursun Ozbek has made it clear he is interested in bringing the midfielder back to the club he captained before leaving for Atletico in 2011.

Turan fell out of favour under Luis Enrique during the second part of last season after a promising start.

His misery continued as the club changed hands and two months in to the 2017-18 season he is yet to appear in a game and has only made the match-day squad once on opening day.

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