Barcelona have told Arda Turan he can leave the club in January, according to reports in Spain.

Turan hasn’t played a single minute for the La Liga leaders this campaign, partly due to a couple of minor injuries, but also because Barcelona’s coach Ernesto Valverde simply selected other players early on in the season,

The same was true last season. Turan missed 13 matches through injury, but 16 matches through not being picked, and only started 14 league games. Those aren’t encouraging numbers for a player who is now 30 years old, and according to Lluis Miguelsanz of Spanish newspaper Sport, the Turkish international will therefore be allowed to leave when he’s (hopefully) fit in January.

If Arsenal lose one or both of Alexis Sanchez and Mesut Özil, Arda Turan could make a good, cheap alternative, considering his experience at the top level. For example, when he did play in the Champions League last season, Turan managed four goals and an assist in just 171 minutes. In fact, over the whole season the player managed a goal or assist every 92 minutes.

We already know that Arsenal had a summer bid turned down for him so they could return in January to try again.

I still think Arsenal should look at longer term replacements for their star players, but if Turan is on his way out for a low price then he would be a solid purchase to fill the gap for now.