Arda Turan completes £24m move to Barcelona; ...but cannot play until January 2016

Barcelona have signed the Turkey captain, Arda Turan, on a five-year contract from Atlético Madrid for an initial fee of £24.1m (€34m).

The 28-year-old midfielder was reportedly the target of the Premier League champions, Chelsea, but instead swaps Atletico for the treble-winners Barça.

A Barcelona statement confirmed the agreement between the clubs, although the former Galatasaray player will not be able to play an official game for Barcelona until January 2016 due to a transfer ban imposed by Fifa for breaching rules over the signings of underage players.

The deal to sign Turan was also complicated by the fact that the club are in the midst of a presidential election campaign and are being administered by a special commission, which had to approve the transfer.

The commission included an unusual clause which means whoever wins the 18 July election has the option within two days of selling Turan back to Atlético less 10% of the fixed fee.

Credit: Guardian Sport