Chelsea In Pole Position To Land £29m Attacker After Man Utd Withdraw Interest

With the summer transfer window finally open for business, managers are working hard trying to strengthen their squads ahead of next season so we’ll bring you all the news and gossip. Today, more on the future of Arda Turan….

Chelsea have been handed a major transfer boost after Manchester United withdrew their interest in signing want-away Atletico Madrid attacker Arda Turan this summer, according to the Daily Mail.

Turan has become one of the most sought-after players on the transfer market after his agent Ahmet Bulut was quoted by ESPN as saying last week that the Turkish international intends to leave Atletico Madrid with the Premier League his preferred destination, but warned any potential suitor a deal won’t come cheap as he has a €41m (£29m) release clause.

“[Arda] intends to leave Spain this summer,”

“His wish is to leave to play in the Premier League, at this moment that is the path he would like to take to further his career. His exit from Atletico is not something easy, as he has a release clause of €41 million. There are conversations under way with three teams, at the moment I cannot say the names, but they are the best teams in England and European football.”

“It’s true, Milan and PSG are two of the six teams which have shown an interest in him, but the Italian team are not one of his options, as they are not playing in the Champions League. PSG are a possibility, but Arda always wanted to test himself in England.”

Bulut is quoted as saying by ESPN

This led to intense speculation over where the 28-year-old would move to and the Daily Mail reported last month that Chelsea and Manchester United were among the clubs showing a keen interest in signing the attacker.

It appeared United had stolen a march on Chelsea after the Express claimed on Friday that the Red Devils had agreed a deal to sign the winger from Atletico but Turan was apparently holding out for a switch to Stamford Bridge.

It looks like this may have put United’s nose out of joint as the Daily Mail are reporting today that Louis van Gaal’s men have now withdrawn their interest in Turan and decided to concentrate their efforts on other targets.

This will come as a major boost to Chelsea as it leaves them in pole position to snap up the Turkish star if he opts for a move to England this summer. The only problem is the Mail suggest that Barcelona are also in the running for his signature.

However, if what his agent said last month – quoted above – is still accurate, then Chelsea are still in a very strong position as it appears Turan’s favoured destination is the Premier League, but it remains to be seen if this stance has changed now that European champions Barcelona have entered the picture.

READ MORE –> Chelsea transfer news | Man Utd transfer news

Turan would be an excellent signing if the Blues could pull it off as he’s been one of Atletico’s most consistent performers in recent years and played a key role in helping Diego Simeone’s men clinch the La Liga title and reach the Champions League final in 2014.

He’s predominantly a right winger but can play anywhere across the attack so he’d give Mourinho plenty of options in the final third if he does make the move to West London.