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Barcelona are working hard to increase Arda Turan’s transfer fee

By Rucker Haringey

Luis Enrique has the opportunity to replicate Pep Guardiola's feats by winning the treble in his first year as Barcelona coach.
Luis Enrique has the opportunity to replicate Pep Guardiola's feats by winning the treble in his first year as Barcelona coach. /
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Barcelona will sell Arda Turan

It’s not hard to read between the lines and see that Barcelona want to part company with Arda Turan this summer. The Turkish midfielder arrived with high expectations, but it’s clear that things aren’t going to work out. That’s why the La Liga giants are working hard to maximize Turan’s transfer value this January.

Officials at Barcelona can clearly see that Turan can land them a financial windfall. He’s drawn interest from several Chinese clubs and could net them a massive transfer fee in January. That’s precisely why they are playing coy with such offers at the moment.

Reports from England claim that Turan’s representatives met with club officials last week to discuss Chinese interest in their client. Barcelona indicated they wanted to keep Turan, but did admit they were open to being blown away by a massive offer.

Ultimately, this is a clever negotiating tactic by Barcelona. They understand that Turan doesn’t fit in their long-term plans, but certainly value his services off the bench in the near-term. In short, he isn’t a valuable player to them, but he isn’t entirely absent of value either.

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The question becomes what do you do with such players? The answer is simple. You try to sell them for a fortune on the transfer market so you can buy superior options. That’s just what Barcelona are trying to do with Turan.

Jose Enrique and company can read the transfer landscape and see that Chinese clubs are willing to pay gigantic premiums for big name players at the moment. At this point in his career, Turan’s name recognition outweighs the impact he can make on the pitch for a club like Barcelona. He’s at the perfect stage of his career to take a big pay-day in China.

Barcelona won’t let Turan be the only financial winner in such a deal. They will continue to posture as if they don’t want to sell the talented midfielder right up until they receive a sufficient Chinese offer. It does them no good to accept the first offer, they know they can bleed more money out of the right Chinese club.

Next: Did Barcelona turn Diego Costa's head?

It might be a ruthless strategy, but it’s the right one for Barcelona. They’re going to let Arda Turan leave this January, but they will be compensated handsomely for the privilege.

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