Arthur agrees to join Juventus as Barcelona line up Miralem Pjanic 'swap' transfer

Ben Hayward25 June 2020

Barcelona midfielder Arthur Melo has agreed in principle to join Juventus and the two clubs are now set to tie up a transfer which will see Miralem Pjanic move the other way.

Arthur had insisted he would stay at Camp Nou, releasing a statement through his communications company in April and then telling the Catalan club he had no interest in a move again in May.

But Standard Sport understands the 23-year-old has finally accepted a transfer after speaking to Juventus and being offered a strong financial package and an important role by the Italian champions.

The two moves will go through separately, with Arthur to be transferred for a fee in the region of €70million and Pjanic joining Barca for around €60m.

That will see Barcelona make a profit of only €10m, but will allow the Catalan club to balance their books after major losses due to the coronavirus crisis.

Getty Images

In that respect, it was essential for the Blaugrana to complete a deal before the end of June, in order for the operation to be included in the current financial year.

Pjanic, who was 30 in April, gave his blessing to the move a couple of months ago, but the Bosnia midfielder has had to wait until this week because Arthur was previously unwilling to leave Barca.

REUTERS

Arthur has played 71 times for Barca and scored four goals for the Catalan club since his €30m move from Gremio in 2018.

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