Barcelona rejected €50m bid from Chinese club for Arda Turan

Arda Turan has revealed that a Chinese club lodged a €50million bid for him last season, but Barcelona opted to turn down the offer as they regard the Turkey international as an important player for the future.

The 29-year-old joined Barcelona from Atletico Madrid in July 2015 and was not allowed to actually play for the Catalans until January due to their transfer ban before he struggled to live up to the high expectations after eventually making his debut.

Turan was consequently linked with a move away from Camp Nou on more than one occasion and has confirmed a transfer to China was mooted, with Beijing Guoan previously believed to have shown an interest in signing the attacking midfielder.

“Last season, a club from China offered €50m to sign me, but Barcelona rejected the offer,” Turan told Beyaz TV.

“Barcelona did not sign me just for six months. I am at Barcelona as part of a long-term project.”

Turan has impressed in the opening stages of the 2016-17 campaign, scoring five goals in 10 appearances for Barca.