Barcelona's Arthur 'more open' to Juventus move in blockbuster Pjanić swap
Barcelona have been locked in negotiations with Juventus over a high-profile swap. The Spanish champions are interested in Juve metronome Miralem Pjanić ahead of the 2020/21 season. While the latter are open to his exit, they have demanded Barcelona to include midfield starlet Arthur Melo in return.
The Bosnian is said to be keen on the switch and Barcelona are willing to include Arthur in the deal. The major stumbling block, though, was Arthur's apparent resistance to the move. The Brazilian, who moved from Grėmio for €31 million two summers ago, is said to be keen on a Barcelona stay.
Arthur holds key to Barcelona-Juventus switch
It is now being reported that Arthur is more open to the idea of moving to the Allianz Stadium in Turin. If Gianluca Di Marzio of Sky Italia is to be believed, Arthur still hasn't given a 'definitive yes' as of yet, but talks are progressing.
The Italian journalist reports that the Italian champions are set to offer the Brazilian a salary of €5m a year after taxes. This figure is roughly two and a half times what he earns at Barcelona. Arthur is valued by Barça at a fee of €80m, while Juve believe Pjanić is worth €70m.
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Juventus are willing to pay the difference of €10m, Barcelona have reportedly demanded they pay a more substantial sum than that. The Brazilian is a significant seven years younger than the Juventus maestro. On the other hand, Barcelona have an agreement in place with Pjanić over his wages at the Nou Camp.
Barcelona have stepped up their efforts to revamp their squad ahead of the 2020/21 season. The Lionel Messi-led club's title ambitions took a hit with their 0-0 draw at Sevilla. Arthur was dropped for this game amidst transfer speculation, which led to Arturo Vidal starting the game.
This meant that five out of Barcelona's starting front six were older than 30. These were Lionel Messi, Luis Suárez, Ivan Rakitić, Sergio Busquets, and Vidal. In fact, the only player who wasn't below 30 — Martin Braithwaite — is an emergency signing who turns 30 next year.
This highlights the genuine need for Barcelona to revamp their squad. They have made their intentions of signing Inter Milan's Lautaro Martínez come transfer window clear and have been locked in negotiations with the Italians. The Argentine is said to be the priority signing for Barcelona as they view him as the present and future of their forward line.
Lautaro is an ideal replacement for fellow South American Suárez at the Nou Camp. The Uruguayan, who turns 34 come January, has faced his fair share of injury concerns and needs to be rested and rotated with a player of El Toro's ilk.
Ansu Fati is another player that Barcelona are set to rely upon as they look to chop and change the squad ahead of the next season.
Also read: Barcelona set to list Vidal, Rakitić, and four other players on transfer list