Rustu Recber will sign for Barcelona

"I am 29. Goalkeepers can play at 35 and over according to world standards. My idea is to play for Barcelona and then return to Fenerbahce before retiring."

Fener vice-president Nihat Ozdemir thanked Rustu for his honesty and insisted that the door will always be open for a return to the Sukru Saracoglu stadium.

"He is one of our kids. We offered him what we could afford but he chose to go to Barcelona where they offered him more," he said.

"We understood Rustu’s desire to play elsewhere in Europe, it is refreshing to find a player with such honesty. We didn’t want him to leave but the door is always open for him here."

Rustu is expected to finalise his contract with the Catalan club when Turkey’s Confederations Cup campaign ends at the end of the month.