Chelsea Transfer News: Arda Turan Never Held Blues Talks, Latest Kenedy Rumours

Arda Turan's agent, Ahmet Bulut, says Chelsea were never involved in any discussions regarding Turan, the Turkish midfielder who was mentioned as a potential Blues transfer target before agreeing to a deal with Barcelona.  

As reported by the MailOnline's Rajvir Rai, the 28-year-old can join the Blaugrana in a complicated deal that could still be refused by the club's new president, who is still to be elected.

In the wake of that news, Bulut told Sport Net-NTV (h/t Goal.com's Gill Clark) Barcelona were the only club involved in talks for Turan, saying: "We didn't talk with Chelsea, Barcelona was the first option. We got an agreement because of Luis Enrique's insistence.”

Sky Sports' Fabrizio Romano previously reported Turan turned down a move to Stamford Bridge, although at the time, it was unclear whether the Blues had also made an approach to Atletico.

Turan's move is shrouded in controversy, as Barcelona currently face a transfer embargo and are not allowed to register any players until January. On top of that, presidential elections will be held later this month, and per ESPN FC's Adriana Garcia, candidate Joan Laporta told El Mundo Deportivo he does not approve of the way the deal went down:

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It's something improper. If he thought they had to sign Arda, he should have done it before resigning. It's out of order, this sense of urgency ... and the only explanation is that it favours the candidature of Bartomeu.

They already showed a lack of transparency when signing Neymar and I believe that for the management committee to play this game is insane.

"

Chelsea and Atletico have had a fantastic relationship in recent years, and just last summer, both Diego Costa and Filipe Luis moved from the Spanish to the British capital. With that in mind, and Costa's―somewhat hilarious―comments on his friendship with Turan, per AS English, it's easy to see why many expected the Turk would end up at Stamford Bridge:

Turan had his eyes set on Barcelona from the very start, however, and the fact he's willing to spend the coming months sitting on the bench before he can finally make his debut in January speaks volumes.

Sometimes, a player simply has his heart set on a certain club, and there's nothing you can do. Chelsea reportedly made their pitch, and Turan wasn't interested. Manager Jose Mourinho will move on to his next transfer target, and it seems only a matter of time before a star player like Turan is officially announced at the Bridge.

Kenedy Deal Reportedly Close

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According to ESPN Brazil (h/t Metro's Tom Olver), the transfer for Brazilian teenager Kenedy should be completed at some point this week. The player has already left his club Fluminense after he was bought out for £6.3 million and is set to sign a five-year deal.

Rumours of this transfer nearing completion have been floating for weeks, per Simon Jones of the Mail on Sunday, and the 19-year-old seems destined to end up at Stamford Bridge, with very few reports of other clubs rivaling the Blues for his services.

Frequently compared to compatriot Hulk by pundits like ESPN FC's Nick Dorrington, Kenedy is a raw, athletically gifted attacker who can play both as a striker and a winger. He has a powerful build and a rocket left foot, and while he's not as technically gifted as some of his Brazilian team-mates, he has enough tricks up his sleeve to get out of tight spots.

Unlike some other young Brazilians who have made the trip across the Atlantic in recent years, Kenedy is nowhere near ready to contribute at the highest level. He's a volume shooter who tends to ignore his team-mates when he has the ball at his feet, and he still has to work on becoming a more efficient, smarter footballer.

He's also not known as a particularly willing defender, per Dorrington, something that won't sit well with Mourinho. Kenedy has unreal talent, but unlike Neymar or Oscar, he's yet to back up that talent with consistent production on the senior level.

That said, Chelsea's investment in Kenedy is undoubtedly a smart one. The Wall Street Journal's Jake Cohen took a look at some of the numbers involved in the deal and thinks Chelsea are getting a ton of bang for their buck:

Kenedy has tremendous potential, and while it may take some time before he's ready to contribute on the Premier League level, he will be one to keep an eye on. He appears destined for an immediate loan deal, but if he can continue his development and work on his efficiency, the sky is the limit.

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