Atletico Madrid's Arda Turan will leave at the end of the season

Atletico Madrid midfielder Arda Turan will leave the Spanish champions at the end of the season, according to the player’s agent. With the Turkey international turning 28 last week, Turan’s representative Ahmet Bulut believes now is the time for his client to move on and receive a bumper payday.

Bulut says he will only consider a move to one of Europe’s top teams, with speculation linking Turan with a number of Premier League clubs.

“At the end of the season, Arda Turan will be 28, it is the right time for a transfer,” Bulut told Mundo Deportivo.

“That is what we think. The transfer should be made to one of the top eight teams in Europe. If not, no.”

Turan is currently under contract with Atletico Madrid until June 2017. The agent’s statements will obviously alert other clubs to his client’s “availability”, but in all likelihood his words were meant to put pressure on the Spanish champions to renegotiate Turan’s present deal.

The Turkey international joined Atletico Madrid for £9 million from his boyhood club Galatasaray in August 2011 – the transfer fee made him the most expensive Turkish footballer of all-time.

The Turkish midfielder is one of Diego Simeone’s most influential players and has been a part of the club’s renaissance since his arrival in Madrid. Last year, The Guardian ranked Turan as the 38th best player in the world on its list of the Top 100 Players.

The midfielder has made 112 appearances in all competitions, scoring 13 goals. During his time in the Spanish capital, Atletico Madrid have won a Europa League title, UEFA Super Cup, the Spanish Supercopa, a Copa del Rey and a La Liga title – while also finishing Champions League runners-up last season.