18-year-old star has decided to join Real Madrid despite Barcelona interest - Reports
According to Yakup Cinar, Barcelona target Arda Guler is set to join Real Madrid. Guler, 18, currently plays for Fenerbahce.
The youngster is one of the brightest prospects in European football at the moment. He made 35 appearances for the Turkish club this past season, scoring six goals and providing seven assists across competitions.
Guler has also represented Turkey's national team four times so far. The player is known for his close control of the ball and vision to see a pass. He is also known by the moniker, "The Turkish Messi".
Guler is certainly one for the future. Hence, it shouldn't be surprising that clubs like Real Madrid and Barcelona are keen on adding the player to their ranks. Barca president Joan Laporta recently confirmed the club's interest in Guler. He said (via Barca Blaugranes):
“It is true that the scouting department has been following him for a long time now and all the important clubs in Europe want him. We are talking with Fenerbahce.”
Former Real Madrid star David Beckham revealed Manchester United agreed a move to Barcelona
David Beckham left Manchester United in the summer of 2003 to join Real Madrid. However, Beckham revealed that Manchester United agreed a move to Barca for him.
The former winger further added that he didn't want to leave the Red Devils. Speaking about the matter, Beckham said (via talkSPORT):
"I’m on holiday, and my friend Dave Gardner called me and said ‘you might want to turn on the TV. United have accepted an offer for you’. I had three years left on my contract at the time, so (I) was like ‘what do you mean?’ He said, ‘they’ve accepted a bid from Barcelona, and you’re leaving.’"
Beckham said that despite United agreeing on a move to Barca, he only wanted to go to Los Blancos. He added:
“I said, ‘I need to know if this is real or not.’ He said, ‘it’s real, we’ve accepted an offer’, which I then replied to him by saying, ‘If I am leaving United, I want to decide where I go next, I don’t want to go to Barcelona, there’s only one club I want to go to, and that’s Madrid.'"
Beckham went on to become a key player for Real Madrid after completing his transfer in 2003. He made 159 appearances for the club across competitions, scoring 20 goals and providing 52 assists.