The long-rumoured exchange deal between Barcelona and Juventus that would have seen them trade Miralem Pjanic for Arthur Melo has ground to a halt, according to Goal.com today.
They write that while discussions are still ongoing between the two clubs over potential moves – as confirmed earlier this week by Fabio Paratici, sporting director at the Italian club – there is currently no interest in a swap deal between the two midfielders.
Barcelona want money if they are to give away Arthur, who is 23; for Pjanic, who is 30.
The Blaugrana do sound keen to the Bosnian though, and maybe common ground will be found eventually. Part-exchange deals are difficult to pull off, although clubs may end up favouring them because of the pressure coronavirus puts on their finances.
The Spanish champions have a whole host of players up for grabs should Juve want them, and we would expect talks to continue long term between the two parties, both of whom will have interesting prospects for the other.
