Chelsea and Barcelona target Arda Turan bids farewell to Atletico Madrid ahead of imminent exit

Chelsea and Barcelona target Arda Turan has bid farewell to Atletico Madrid's fans ahead of his imminent move away from the Vicente Calderon, although there is uncertainty over his next destination.

On 30 June, the agent of the Turkey international, Ahmet Bulut, told Turkish TV channel NTVSport that his client will reveal his next destination before the end of the week.

"We want to clarify that at this time there is a lot of pressure on the matter but we do not want to make a formal declaration about his destination before it has been signed. In the next four days, Arda will decide the team he will play for next season," he said at the time.

And the player, 28, has now all but confirmed his exit is imminent after posting a video message on his official Facebook account to "thank" the Atletico Madrid fans for his support during his four seasons in La Liga.

It is only a matter of time before Turan reveals who will secure his services but there has been uncertainty after reports in Spain claimed he could move to Barcelona rather than Chelsea, despite his agent claiming he wanted to play in the Premier League.

Towards the end of June, Bulut said to AS: "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."

Chelsea and Manchester United have since been heavily linked with his services, with Spanish newspaper AS claiming the Blues were the favourites to sign him as the player would rather move to London to reunite with former Atletico Madrid teammates Diego Costa and Thibaut Courtois than join United.

The Spanish publication has insisted the interest from Atletico manager Diego Simeone in Filipe Luis could ease the negotiations as the Blues will be able to reduce the £41m (£29m, $45m) release clause by including the left-back as part of the deal.

But both Mundo Deportivo and Sport are reporting a massive turnaround in the situation while assuring Barcelona are on the verge of securing his signing.

The Catalan publication claims Barcelona have reached an agreement with Atletico Madrid for around €35m plus add-ons and just need to agreed personal terms with the player to complete the deal.

Nevertheless, according to Mundo Deportivo, Turan's agent has denied even being in talks with Barcelona, while the player has said the reports are not true in his Twitter account.

"Reports about my move are not correct. I am on holidays and resting," he said.

AS insists the Chelsea option is not definitely over, while Marca claims that even though the player is keen on a move to Barcelona, and the negotiations between the Catalans and Atletico are ongoing, the agreement is yet to be closed.

If Turan does choose the La Liga champions, he will not be able to play until January due to Barcelona being under a Fifa transfer embargo.