Barcelona urged to complete £24m deal for Chelsea and Manchester United target Arda Turan

Former Barcelona president and current presidential candidate Josep Maria Bartomeu has urged the club to complete the signing of Chelsea and Manchester United target Arda Turan as soon as possible.

The Turkish international midfielder has been linked with a move away from Atletico Madrid in recent weeks since the agent of the 28-year-old star himself, Ahmet Bulut, revealed the player wanted to put an end to his spell at the Vicente Calderon after four successful seasons in La Liga.

Bulut then said that even though there were offers from a number of big European clubs to secure his services, including from Paris Saint-Germain and AC Milan, Turan wanted to play in the Premier League.

"He is planning on leaving Spain this summer. He would like to play in the Premier League. This is the path he would like to see his career take. His departure from Atletico won't be easy due to his €41m buyout clause. I'm in discussion with three clubs but I can't reveal their names. They are three of the best clubs in England and indeed in Europe," Bulut said to AS at the end of June.

Spanish newspaper AS have since claimed Turan is likely to move to Chelsea although Manchester United are also closely monitoring the situation.

But last week Catalan newspapers Sport and Mundo Deportivo announced a turnaround in the situation while revealing the Turkish player was on the verge of a move to Barcelona instead.

Having a £29m ($45m) release clause in his contract at Atletico Madrid, the Catalan publications claimed that Barcelona have already agreed to pay £24m plus add-ons to Diego Simeone's side to secure his services.

While Turan denied those reports in his Twitter account, Mundo Deportivo reported the deal was just on hold because the current Barcelona interim board cannot sanction the deal.

Barcelona will hold elections to choose a new president on 18 July and, according to the regulations of the club, the interim board who are currently in charge cannot sanction any deal.

Former president Bartomeu, who is the big favourite to win the elections alongside Joan Laporta, have urged the interim board to skip the rules to sanction the move in order to avoid losing Turan to another side since he is a priority signing for manager Luis Enrique.

"I invite the interim committee to sign the player. He's a good player, with great quality and perfectly matches what Luis Enrique is wanting this coming season, which is why I, as a pre-candidate, urge the interim committee to take the necessary steps to sign the player," Bartomeu told Esport3.

"When all parties are in agreement, and above all the manager, that the player is the one we need, the thing to do is to bring him in under the best conditions possible."

Bartomeu believes that if the club don't complete his signing in the coming days, Turan may refuse to wait until 18 July and move somewhere else instead.

However, Laporta has expressed his disapproval over his signing and has urged the interim board to wait for the new president to make the final decision.