FC Barcelona transfer rumour update – Rafinha and Arda Turan

Celta Vigo director Felipe Minambres confirms Rafinha contact

Rafinha has an injury-plagued career at Barcelona. If he would be able to stay fit, he would have become a starter by now. But he struggled under Luis Enrique, and has not played in any competitive match this season under Ernesto Valverde.

Rafinha has returned from a long-term knee injury that kept him out for over 4 months, and he is gunning for a move. His father and agent, Mazinho has touted him to Celta Vigo, his previous club, who are looking for an attacking player.

The Celta attack lacks depth, after the management decided to loan out John Guidetti to Alavés. Manager Juan Carlos Unzué prefers a move for his old pal Rafinha, who worked with him at both Celta (2013-14) and Barcelona (2014-17).

"Celta director Felipe Minambres said, “We are in contact with Rafinha. There are options and we want to advance them in the coming days.”"

If a move does occur, it will be the best move for both the clubs, as well as the player.

Başakşehir president Göksel Gümüşdağ confirms interest in Arda Turan

Arda Turan is on the verge of leaving Barcelona. Initially, the Turkish playmaker was reluctant to leave the club and asked the management for a second chance to prove himself. The management did give him some opportunities, but he squandered them.

Then, he handed in a transfer request that was granted by the club. Turan’s agent Ahmed Bulut worked hard to find him a new destination in one of Europe’s top leagues, but there were no takers. But now, Süper Lig leaders İstanbul Başakşehir have contacted Turan over a move.

Başakşehir president  Göksel Gümüşdağ confirmed this fact.

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"The Turk said, “We have carried out a series of negotiations over the possibility that Arda Turan could leave Barcelona.Last Sunday, we sent our lawyer to Barcelona to begin negotiations. He was followed by vice president Mustafa Saral, who met with the player’s agents and Barça’s representatives. I, personally, joined them and also met with Arda Turan to speak face to face about his opinion on our club.Our directors have been speaking with his agents and they have told us that Arda Turan would be very happy to wear our shirt, that he’s ready to return to the elite and to play for us. Later, I also met with Oscar Grau, Barça’s CEO.I would say that Arda Turan is ready to come to us and that despite the cost of the operation, our two main sponsors are ready to make a sacrifice to get the deal done.We have to respect Barcelona and we have to wait for the necessary procedures to be carried out. My team, the player’s agents and Barcelona are in contact and we hope for a positive outcome.”"

This is an encouraging development, especially since Turan has not played a single minute of competitive football this season. He is a player who is an extra load on the wage bill, and also one who deserves some game time.

Next: Philippe Coutinho hopes to live up to expectations

Hence, if this transfer goes through, it will be mutually beneficial.