Chelsea aim to beat Arsenal to Barcelona star

Chelsea want to beat Arsenal out for the signature of Barcelona midfielder Arda Turan

New Chelsea boss Antonio Conte isn’t wasting any time identifying a bevy of midfield targets for his new club. The latest name to pop up on the Blues radar is that of Barcelona star Arda Turan.

Arsenal surely won’t be happy upon hearing the news that Chelsea are going to chase their long-time midfield target. The Gunners have been linked with a move for Turan for most of this season, but will struggle to battle their Premier League rivals from a financial perspective.

Reports in Spain claim that both Arsenal and Chelsea will make inquiries for the former Atletico Madrid star, but it won’t be easy to convince Barcelona to part with Turan. Even though he hasn’t been able to secure a firm place in Barcelona starting 11, the team will be hesitant to sell him after only six months or so of active duty. Remember, Barcelona’s transfer ban left him unavailable to play for the Catalan giants until the end of the winter transfer window.

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Barcelona’s hesitation won’t do much to dampen enthusiastic bids from both Arsenal and Chelsea. The Blues are anxious to bring in several high-profile stars to get Conte’s tenure off to a flying start. Turan would walk right into the Chelsea team as a solution to their midfield struggles. He could play a prime role out on the wing if Conte chooses to implement his favored 3-4-3 formation.

At Arsenal, Turan would figure to combine with Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Ozil to form one of the Premier League’s most formidable attacking midfield trios. The third attacking midfield slot has been a problem all year for Gunner manager Arsene Wenger and should be a prime focus in the summer transfer window. Adding Turan would give Arsenal another world-class attacker while also providing them some additional toughness in the midfield.

One positive for perspective Turan suitors is the fact that the player will likely be keen for a move away from Camp Nou. At 29-years-old he won’t want to risk another season on Barcelona’s bench no matter how many trophies they’re able to win. He’s enough of a competitor to crave being a key figure for whatever team he suits up for.

Chelsea and Arsenal are likely set for a high-profile Premier League transfer war this summer. Both teams will need to use every tool at their disposal if they want to tempt Arda Turan to make a switch from Barcelona to their respective clubs.

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