Hatem Ben Arfa flies to Barcelona for tour of Nou Camp as ex-Newcastle forward closes in on moveFormer Newcastle United forward Hatem Ben Arfa has flown to Barcelona for a tour of the club’s stadium and training ground as he closes in on a sensational move.The 29-year-old French international is understood to have departed from Paris’ Orly airport on Monday morning in order to visit the Nou Camp and Barca’s facilities as negotiations continue over a Bosman free transfer this summer.Ben Arfa first flew to Catalonia for preliminary talks earlier this month, but now he will be given a closer look at Barca’s Ciutat Esportiva Joan Gamper training ground and the 99,354-capacity Nou Camp.
Last week, French publication L’Equipe claimed Ben Arfa will “very probably” join Barcelona from Nice this summer and discussions are now believed to be at an advanced stage.
Ex-France international and Barca left-back Eric Abidal is helping to broker the deal, and Ben Arfa is keen to join the Spanish champions - with worries over potential gametime not believed to be a stumbling block.Instead, Ben Arfa is determined to secure Champions League football, and Barca would certainly offer him that.
The likes of Real Madrid, Borussia Dortmund, Chelsea, AC Milan and Paris Saint-Germain have also been linked with the ex-Magpie in recent months.
However, it seems Ben Arfa is more than content to provide support for Barca’s ‘MSN’ trio of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez and Neymar next season.
The French international, who has netted 17 goals and contributed five assists in 33 Ligue 1 appearances for Nice this season, saw his loan spell with Hull City during the 2014-15 campaign ended after just six months, before Newcastle terminated his contract back in January 2015.
Due to FIFA regulations, Ben Arfa was unable to play again until August, but he has led Nice to fifth place in Ligue 1 this season and could well be named in the France squad for Euro 2016.
Ben Arfa scored 14 goals in 86 games for the Magpies between 2010 and 2014 before falling out with Alan Pardew and eventually being released.
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