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The agent of Turkish international Arda Turan has confirmed that the player wants to leave Barcelona in January, amidst growing frustration at his lack of playing time with the Catalan club.
The experienced Turkish international, who has 100 senior international caps to his name, moved to the Nou Camp in 2015 from Atletico Madrid in a £35 million deal, although a UEFA-imposed transfer ban meant he was ineligible to play for his new club until the following year. However, he has struggled to make an impression at Barcelona, and has not made a single first team appearance under new manager Ernesto Valverde this season.
The midfielder has long been linked with a move to Arsenal, although a return to Turkey with Trabzonspor could also be on the cards.
There have also been numerous stories connecting Arsenal with a move for Sevilla defensive midfielder Steven Nzonzi, as The Gunners look to replace Santi Cazorla, with Aaron Ramsey also now set to miss games with an injury he picked up in the draw against Southampton at the weekend.
Andy is an exiled English football fan living in Cyprus. He loves all sports but football is his abiding passion, and he still has dreams every now and then about scoring the winning goal in a Wembley Cup Final, even though his playing days are long gone. He follows most major leagues, across Europe at least, and has a favoured team in each. When he’s not watching, listening, reading or downloading podcasts about football, he spend his time worrying about his beloved Arsenal.