Juventus have agreed an €80m fee with Barcelona to sign midfielder Arthur Melo, report Sky Sports.
It is claimed that whilst the two clubs have agreed upon a fixed price for the Brazilian, the player is still reluctant to leave the Camp Nou – a position he has held throughout the negotiations.
That is despite the Bianconeri reportedly offering him an improved wage packet – a reported €5m per annum – than his current deal at the Spanish champions.
It follows a report in Repubblica that the clubs were continuing their negotiations for the midfielder as they have reportedly already agreed terms, alongside the agreement of the player, to see Juve’s Miralem Pjanic switch to the Camp Nou.
Brazilian midfielder Arthur is said to be keen to stay at the Catalan giants but the club are keen to negotiate his exit in order to rejuvenate their squad.
Arthur joined the Blaugrana in 2018 in a deal from Gremio worth an initial €31m plus a further €9m in variables with Pjanic and Juve defender Matteo De Sciglio going the other way.
It is said that there are only a handful of players in Quique Setien’s side who will not be sold under any circumstances, with Lionel Messi and Frenkie de Jong among them.
Arthur has a contract with the club until the summer of 2024 with a €400m release clause, while transfermarkt gives him a market value of €55m.
Foolish barca board…