Arda Turan has revealed Barcelona rejected a €50m offer from an unnamed club in China for him in January. Messi set to return against Deportivo. The midfielder joined the Spanish champions from Atletico Madrid in 2015 but endured a difficult start to life at Camp Nou, fuelling speculation he could be set for a quick exit from the club. Several players flocked to China in the January transfer window including Ramires, Jackson Martinez, Alex Teixeira, Gervinho and Fredy Guarin. And Arda claims he was also the subject of interest from a Chinese outfit, but says Barcelona turned down the lucrative bid as they did not want to ditch him after just six months.

Speaking as a studio guest on Beyaz TV on Saturday, Arda said: "Last season, a club from China have offered €50m to Barcelona for me but they rejected it because I'm a long term project..  “Barcelona didn't sign me just for 6 months.” Arda has bounced back from a disappointing first season with Barcelona, scoring five goals in 10 appearances in all competitions for the club so far this term. The 29-year-old was dropped from the Turkey national team setup on the back of a string of poor displays for his country at Euro 2016, which brought boos from his own supporters. But he has rejected claims his omission relates to an alleged disagreement between himself and manager Fatih Terim over bonus payments from the tournament.

He added: "My exclusion from the national team is not about the alleged bonus incident. I make so much money, why would I care about a bonus prize? It's our coach's decision. “But I have been the captain of this team for 10 years. They (Turkey fans) booed me at the Croatia and Spain games. I was upset because we looked bad to Europe. "I don't accept the perception that I perform below expectations on the national stage. My Turkey performances were always better than my club performances. I love Turkey and our team. “I don't ask 'Why am I not called up?' I'm always ready for the national team and always will be if they call me.”