Media Watch: Liverpool in for dazzling Turkish star

According to reports in the Turkish press, Rafa Benitez rejected the recent bid from Birmingham for Ryan Babel as they are in negotiations with Turkish giants Galatasaray for a swap deal plus cash for their captain and star man Arda Turan.

The player was widely expected to leave Galatasaray last summer with the club finishing a highly disappointing 5th in the Turkish league, 10 points behind champions Besiktas.

However, it would seem this will now be Arda's last season with the club before moving abroad although Benitez is trying to push through a deal this month as he looks to claw back a Champions League place by the end of the current campaign.

An added bonus for potential suitors of Arda is the player's versatility as he can play on either flank or even in a more central role.

It's no surprise that Liverpool are so strongly linked to the golden boy of Turkish football as Rafa Benitez has been looking to add some much needed flair to his strong outfit.

The injuries to Fernando Torres, Steven Gerrard and Yossi Benayoun have led Liverpool to attempt to push through a deal as soon as possible with the team lacking its most creative and goal scoring talent.

The 22-year-old Galatasaray midfielder enjoyed an excellent season individually last season even though the team ultimately struggled after scoring 7 goals in 29 league appearances (27 starts).

In the 2007/08 season he also weighed in with 7 goals in 30 league appearances (29 starts) which led to interest from England, Spain and Italy. As new captain of the side, Arda has scored 4 goals in 16 league appearances this season as the club sit 2nd in the league, 1 point behind leaders Fenerbahce.

Arda is a team-mate of former Liverpool star Harry Kewell and reports suggest the Australian has given a glowing report about life at Anfield.

Since breaking into the first team he has scored an impressive 23 goals from 102 (90 starts) league appearances and has become a mainstay of the team that won the 2007/08 Turkish title.

His match-winning performances in Turkey's superb Euro 2008 displays also intensified the growing interest in the exciting winger as well as increased his price tag.

The player is expected to cost around £13m which may not be too much of a gamble for Liverpool if he can realise his amazing potential in England.

Rafa Benitez is reported to have offered £3m and Ryan Babel for the Turkish star which would be good business with the sales of Andrey Voronin and Andrea Dossena comfortably covering that outlay.

Arda has won 35 caps for his country (4 goals) despite his tender age after progressing from the U19 and U21 sides. The youngster is both quick and two footed and has been likened to former Galatasaray legend Gheorghe Hagi in his home country so should give you an idea of how highly he is rated.

If Arda was to join Rafa Benitez' team then the amount of creative attacking talent at the Spaniard's disposal would be hugely increased following the arrival of Maxi Rodriguez this month.

Arda fits the bill in terms of creativity and technical ability but we will have to wait and see if Liverpool can indeed secure the golden boy of Turkish football.

This story has been reproduced from today's media. It does not necessarily represent the position of Liverpool Football Club.