Arsenal are once again being linked with Barcelona midfielder Arda Turan but are they actually likely to sign him?

Depending on which report you read, Turan wants to leave Barca because he’s struggling for game time or the Catalan giants was to offload him in order to afford Philippe Coutinho.

Either way, Arsenal are being linked again. But are they actually likely to sign him in the summer as is rumoured?

Firstly, the Turkey international is 30 years old. Therefore, he’s getting on a bit when it comes to footballers. At the very least, he’s passed his peak, which has been demonstrated by his lack of game time at Barca since moving from Atletico Madrid a little over two years ago.

Turan’s made just 36 La Liga appearances since joining.

While he can play as a left winger and could therefore replace Alexis Sanchez in theory, Turan is mainly an attacking midfielder. Although Mesut Ozil could also be off, Arsenal have the likes of Jack Wilshere or even Aaron Ramsey at the club to plug that hole. Therefore, it doesn’t seem like an area Arsene Wenger would prioritise strengthening. At least not with a 30-year-old.

Barca paid Atletico €34m plus €7m in add-ons and with three years left on his contract, you have to imagine that they’ll be hoping to recoup at least most of that. Arsenal aren’t going to pay that much for a player of his age that they don’t really need. There are other pressing matters at hand… quite literally.