Arthur has become a serious piece of business between Spanish La Liga giants Barcelona and Italian Serie A side Juventus since the restart of football in major leagues across Europe. Recent reports are speculating that Juventus have agreed to pay the sum of £72.5 million to bring him to Italy.
The 23-year-old Brazilian midfielder joined Barcelona in the summer of 2018 for an initial fee of £27 million. His deal with Barcelona will expire in 2024 but because it is beginning to look like he is surplus to requirement, Juventus are keen on buying his release clause.
Since he arrived from Gremio to Barcelona, Arthur has made 70 appearances and has scored four goals. This season alone, he has played 19 times in Spanish La Liga and has managed to score three goals.
However, the Brazilian youngster who is heavily loved by fans at the Camp Nou seems to have fallen out of favour. Since the season which was suspended in March restarted in June, the Brazilian has managed to play only once in three matches.
Though the coronavirus pandemic has heavily affected the revenue of clubs across Europe, it seems Juventus are not by any means affected as they have decided to spend 80 million euros on Arthur.
The club’s director Fabio Paratici said, the discussion to bring the player to the club has reached an advanced stage but it will be put on hold so that both clubs can concentrate on their remaining games in the season.
“We have spoken frequently with Barcelona, but at this moment all the teams are playing important games, so we preferred to bypass this period, ” Fabio told Sky Sports in Italy.
“It’s not about June 30, before or after, but about finding an agreement between the various parties, and both players have to be convinced. Therefore, it’s not an issue about dates.”
However, some report is speculating that though Barcelona is looking for ways to generate funds amid the coronavirus pandemic, they are yet to reach an agreement with Juventus. They are currently looking at striking a swap deal with the Italian giants.
If it happens, the swap deal plus cash which would be paid by Juventus would see Juventus’ Miralem Pjanic join Barcelona and Arthur move to Juventus.
However, the Barcelona star seems not to be interested in leaving the Camp Nou anytime soon. He is still standing on a statement he released in April saying that he has no intention to leave the club despite not having enough playing time.
