Barcelona will 'listen' to Javier Mascherano's January plans as club president discusses Arda Turan exit

Barcelona are ready to "sit down" with Javier Mascherano to discuss his potential exit during the January transfer window but club president Josep Maria Bartomeu has made it clear that the club's "desire" is to keep him at the Nou Camp.

The club chief was less decisive when asked about Arda Turan's potential move away from Ernesto Valverde's side after admitting that the future of the Turkish international will be in "his hands".

Mascherano has been crucial player for Barcelona since his arrival from Liverpool in the summer of 2010.

However, his future at the Nou Camp has come under scrutiny in recent days after it emerged that the player had asked Barcelona to let him go in January in order to secure more regular time somewhere else.

The 33-year-old has only started five La Liga games in the opening part of the season with Samuel Umtiti and Gerard Pique ahead of him in Ernesto Valverde's pecking order.

Barcelona are said to be desperately trying to convince the player to stay until at least the summer after Valverde learned he will be without Umtiti for around two months due to a hamstring injury sustained during the Catalan's 2-1 victory over Celta Vigo.

However, on Wednesday (6 December) Mundo Deportivo suggests that there will no way back in Mascherano's decision as the player wants to play regularly to arrive at the 2018 World Cup in good form.

The Spanish publication said that there is an unnamed club from the Chinese Super League ready to pay €5m (£4.4m, $5.9m) for his services and Mascherano plans to meet with Barcelona to convince them to accept the offer.

Bartomeu has all but confirmed that Mascherano wants to leave but the Barcelona president still expects to sit down with him to change his mind.

"I am the one who signed Mascherano in 2010. I took a plane to find him at Liverpool. Our desire is form him to stay but were are a human club [with human values] and we are going to sit down and listen to the player," Bartomeu said to Argentinian publication La Nacion.

Turan's situation is completely different with the former Atletico Madrid star out of Valverde's plans.

Barcelona tried to get rid of him in the summer and he is yet to play a single minute in the opening part of the season, having also been hit by different fitness issues.

Bartomeu said that the Catalans would also like to keep him but the president did admit that Turan will be the one to make the decision.

"Arda Turan is one of the important players of our team. Obviously I want him to continue his sports career here with us. He has been out due to an injury but he is already in better shape. We will see what happens when he is fully recovered and ready for his coach," Bartomeu said as quoted by Sport.

"We have not received any official offer from Galatasaray or any other club by Arda Turan. The future of Arda Turan is in his hands. It will be him who will finally decide his destiny."