Barcelona transfer news: Arda Turan move to replace Henrikh Mkhitaryan could fund Andre Gomes signing

Barcelona are considering selling Arda Turan to fund the signing of Andre Gomes, according to Spanish publication Sport. The paper claims that the La Liga champions have been boosted by Borussia Dortmund identifying Turkey international Turan as the perfect player to fill the gap left by Henrikh Mkhitaryan if, as expected, he moves to Manchester United.

Dortmund chief executive, Hans-Joachim Watzke, revealed at the weekend that the Bundesliga giants have agreed an "enormously lucrative offer" to sell Mkhitaryan to Manchester United, said to be worth around £26.3m ($33.6m). The Armenian international is yet to agree personal terms but new manager Jose Mourinho suggested that the transfer will be official soon.

Reports in Turkey and Germany suggested Dortmund are already preparing for life without Mkhitaryan. The attacking midfielder was one of their top players last season, scoring 23 goals and providing 32 assists in 52 appearances.

And Barcelona star Arda Turan has emerged in recent hours as the main candidate to fill that gap.

The La Liga giants have reportedly earmarked Gomes, who currently plays for Valencia, as a top target for the summer transfer window. However, with the likes of Chelsea and Real Madrid also monitoring the situation, the Catalans were concerned about missing out.

But Sport now claims that the Turkish international's potential move to Germany could have a domino effect which would help Barcelona to sign Andre Gomes.

Dortmund would fund the signing of Turan with the £26.3m received from Manchester United for Mkhitaryan, freeing up funds at Barcelona for Gomes. Barcelona president Josep Maria Bartomeu revealed last week that club only have €60m (£51.1m), plus any money generated from sales this summer, to bolster their squad for next season, of which €28m has been spent on Samuel Umtiti and Denis Suarez. Valencia are demanding at least €60m for Gomes.

Turan has said a number of times that he wants to stay at Barcelona despite his first season at the Nou Camp falling below expectations. But with Dennis Suarez returning from Villarreal, Barca could push him to move on to secure Gomes and balance their books.