Arda Turan transfer from Barcelona to Istanbul Basaksehir is '99% likely to happen', insists agent

Barcelona flop Arda Turan is expected to complete his proposed transfer to Istanbul Basaksehir in the coming hours with his agent confirming that the deal is "99%" likely to happen.

The 30-year-old midfielder has been tipped to leave the Nou Camp during the January transfer window after being frozen out by manager Ernesto Valverde during the opening half of the season.

In the summer, Barcelona attempted to offload him to a number of clubs with hopes of recouping part of the €34m (£30.1m, $41.2m) plus add-ons they paid to lure him from Atletico Madrid.

Turan eventually stayed at the Nou Camp but has failed to register a single minute of playing time this season after failing to convince Valverde he is deserving of a place in his plans.

Beşiktaş, Galatasaray, Everton and AC Milan have all been linked with his services this month but Mundo Deportivo recently claimed that his €7m-a-year salary [equivalent to €135,000-a-week] has been a stumbling block in Barcelona's attempts to get rid of him.

However, earlier this week, Basaksehir chairman Göksel Gümüşdağ suggested that his side were ready to make an effort to lure Turan back to his homeland after holding a fruitful meeting with the player and the La Liga giants.

"Regarding some positive outcomes; our vice presidents Mustafa Saral, Mesut Altan, Ömer Ayvacı and our player representative came to Spain in order to come together with Barcelona football club. I also came here with them to talk with Arda face-to-face. I wanted to find out how he would feel about playing in Medipol Başakşehir in case there is an agreement between the two clubs. During the meetings with Barcelona, I spent time with Arda and saw that he would be very happy to play for us and that he felt very ready and ambitious," the Basaksehir chairman said.

"Even though we agree in principle about many points, there are a few more to clarify. Our club is in touch with Barcelona representatives. I hope that they will come back with positive news."

The Basaksehir boss later added that the Turkish Super Lig leaders were confident of securing a deal with Barcelona before the end of the week.

The La Liga giants are said to be ready to let him go on the cheap and it appears the main issue in completing the deal is for Basaksehir to agree terms with the player due to his high salary.

But Turan's agent Ahmet Bulut has now suggested that the agreement between Turan and the club is now done are now only waiting for Barcelona to give the green light.

"Everything is happening in a positive way. The final decision will be made on Friday. We've already given a positive response to Basaksehir and Arda Turan agrees," Bulut said, as quoted by Spanish Publication Sport.

"There's only one or two small details needed for an agreement to be reached. Now all that's missing is Barcelona's response. The chances of a deal being closed are more than 99%."

Sport added that Bulut was expected to meet with officials from both clubs at Barcelona's headquarters on Friday [12 January] with hopes to complete the transfer.

If Turan finally agrees his move to the Turkish side he will be the first player to leave the Catalans during the January transfer window with the La Liga giants having already completed two further deals to bring in Philippe Coutinho from Liverpool and Yerry Mina from Palmeiras.