Barcelona have confirmed that they have reached an agreement with Juventus for the transfer of midfielder Arthur worth up to €82 million.
The 23-year-old moved to Camp Nou from his boyhood club Gremio in 2018 and has established himself as a regular in the Brazil first team since moving to Catalonia.
However, in recent weeks, Barca have been heavily linked with a move for Miralem Pjanic, and Arthur moving in the opposite direction suggest Pjanic may yet move to the Spanish champions from Juventus.
“FC Barcelona and Juventus FC have reached an agreement for the transfer of player Arthur Melo,” a Barca statement read.
“The Italian club will pay 72 million euros, plus 10 million euros in variables. The player will remain at FC Barcelona until the end of official competition in the 2019/20 season.”
Arthur will complete the season with Barca, who are locked in a tight battle for the Spanish title with Real Madrid and remain in the hunt for the Champions League.
Arthur joined the club from Gremio in 2018 and has turned out 72 times in total for the Camp Nou side, including 28 appearances in all competitions this season, during which he has scored all four of his goals for the club.
Two draws in their past three games have left the reigning champions two points behind Real Madrid at the top of La Liga with six matches remaining, heightening speculation that Setien will be dismissed at the end of the season despite only being in post since January.
The coach, however, has played down any concerns he has ahead of the clash with Diego Simeone’s side, who lie third in the standings, though a distant 11 points short of the Catalan outfit with only six matches of the campaign remaining.
