New Barcelona sporting director Deco had very little to say when pushed by journalists to explain why the club was unable to sign Arda Guler.
The 18-year-old Turkish star recently joined Real Madrid from Fenerbahce in a €20m transfer and was unveiled at the Bernabeu last week.
Guler broke into Fenerbahce’s first-team aged 16 and became increasingly prominent during an impressive 2022/23 season that saw Spain’s biggest clubs go head to head to sign him.
90min reported before an announcement was made that Guler had chosen Real over Barcelona. Both clubs were willing to go to €20m, which was more than his €17.5m release clause, but the role played by Los Blancos chief scout Juni Calafat was significant.
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Deco, who is yet to be officially presented in his new Barcelona role, was out for lunch with director of football Mateu Alemany on Monday. Upon leaving the restaurant, he was asked by reporters why Guler hadn’t joined Barcelona last week. His short answer: "I don't know."
It has been reported by SPORT that Deco felt used to extract more money from Real Madrid during the Guler negotiations, having travelled to Turkey for talks believing that a deal was on the way to being completed and left concerned that the transfer would be at risk.
Despite the €20m transfer fee, journalist Toni Juanmarti has suggested that Real’s outlay could reach €50m once add-ons, commission, bonuses and salary are taken into account. Indeed, it is claimed that Guler and his family have made more money direct from the transfer than Fenerbahce, with an €8m signing bonus going to the player and a €15m commission going to his father.
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This article was originally published on 90min as Deco addresses Barcelona's failed Arda Guler transfer.