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Barcelona will wave goodbye to midfielder Arthur at the end of the 2019-20 season with the Brazil international set to join Juventus in a transfer worth up to €82 million ($92m).
The Catalan giants confirmed the deal has now been finalized with the Serie A champions. Arthur will sign a five-year contract with the Italian side after less than two years in Barcelona.
“FC Barcelona and Juventus FC have reached an agreement for the transfer of player Arthur Melo. 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 the official competitions of the 2019/20 season.”
Barcelona is expected to replace Arthur by signing Miralem Pjanic from Juventus on a four-year deal. The 30-year-old passed a medical with the Catalan giants in Turin at the weekend, according to Goal’s Romeo Agresti.
Arthur to Finish the Season With Barcelona
Arthur will see out the season with Barcelona before heading to Italy. Quique Setien’s side still have six league games left to play, and they will also resume their Champions League campaign in August at the last-16 stage.
Setien told a press conference on Monday that he has no doubts about Arthur’s commitment to the cause despite the 23-year-old having agreed to join Juventus.
“I say the same thing I told him the other day. We have no doubt over his commitment to the final day he’s here. He’s still a Barcelona player until the final game ends this season. He’s personally committed and dedicated to achieving our objectives. I have no doubts about him and neither do his team-mates.
“For me, the important thing is he’s said he’s available and is in the best condition. I’m the one who decides if he’ll play or not but he’s certainly available.”
Barcelona play Atletico Madrid in La Liga on Tuesday at the Camp Nou. Arthur has been named in the squad for the match and could feature.
Fresh Challenge for Arthur
Arthur only arrived in Barcelona from Brazilian side Gremio in the summer of 2018 but is already looking forward to a new challenge. The youngster was a regular in his first season at the club but injury has disrupted his campaign this time around.
The Brazilian said back in April that he was not interested in a move, when speculation about interest from Juventus first emerged, but has since been convinced to make the switch to Italy.
Finances are an issue at Barcelona currently and partially explain why the club were willing to sell Arthur. The club needed to raise $76m in player sales by the end of the month just to balance the books.
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