Real Madrid win race to sign Turkish teenage wonderkid Arda Guler from Fenerbahce in £25 million deal

Real Madrid have won the race to sign Turkish teenage star Arda Guler from Fenerbahce.

The 18-year-old has signed a six-year deal at the Bernabeu.

Madrid fought off strong competition from many of Europe’s elite clubs, including Barcelona, to secure the youngster’s signature.

It was reported Barcelona had sent sporting director and former player Deco to Istanbul to negotiate a transfer last week, which prompted Real Madrid to increase their offer.

In his breakthrough season last campaign, Guler scored six goals and provided seven assists in 35 appearances for Fenerbache.

It’s understood Madrid’s chief scout Juni Calafat played a key role in the deal, with Madrid having monitored the player since the 2021-2022 season.

Although manager Carlo Ancelotti plans to include Guler in pre-season preparations, as reported, a loan move has not been ruled out for the teenager to secure regular playing time.

He faces stiff competition in the central midfield area from the likes of Toni Kroos, Luka Modric, Eduardo Camavinga, Aurelien Tchouameni and new signing Jude Bellingham.

Gruler made his debut for Turkey aged 17 and has since made four appearances, scoring one goal – becoming the country’s youngest-ever goalscorer at 18 years and 114 days old.

He rose through the ranks at Fenerbache’s academy before making his first-team debut for the Turkish giants in August 2021.