Barcelona ships Turan to Basaksehir on loan

Istanbul - Turkish league leaders Istanbul Basaksehir on Saturday announced they had reached an agreement to sign midfielder Arda Turan on loan from Barcelona.

"Arda Turan is returning to his country wearing the orange kit (of Basaksehir). This is not just a transfer for Basaksehir, but a transfer for all of Turkey," club president Goksel Gumusdag said in a statement.

In a tweet, the club shared a video of a crossword being filled in, with the key answers being "Arda Turan."

Basaksehir have risen rapidly over the last two seasons to rival the established Istanbul triumvirate of Besiktas, Fenerbahce, and Galatasaray.

Barcelona and the Istanbul club agreed on a one-and-a-half-year loan with an optional extra season, state broadcaster TRT Spor and Hurriyet daily reported.

Gumusdag visited Barcelona earlier this week to meet Turan.

The 30-year-old joined Barcelona in 2015 after four successful seasons with Atletico Madrid, but has been unable to hold down a first-team place.

Turan receives an annual salary of around €8 million at the Catalan club, according to Spanish media.

He quit international football last June after former coach Fatih Terim threw him out of a training camp following a fracas with a reporter on a plane.

Turan then declared two months later he was ready for a recall.

Turan has also expressed open support for president Recep Tayyip Erdogan, attending rallies to back "my commander-in-chief" following the July 2016 attempted coup.