Arthur-Pjanic exchange deal off with Barcelona only open to selling Brazilian
An exchange deal involving Barcelona midfielder Arthur Melo and Juventus midfielder Miralem Pjanic is off.
Earlier this week Juventus chief football officer Fabio Paratici confirmed that talks between the two sides are ongoing, though he declined to name specific players involved in the discussions.
Juventus are understood to be keen on Arthur, who joined Barcelona from Gremio in July 2018 and has made 23 appearances so far for the Catalans in 2019-20.
Though Juve boss Maurizio Sarri would like to bring in the Brazilian midfielder, Goal can confirm that Barcelona are not interested in a swap deal involving the two players unless Juventus include money as well.
That would seem to close the book on any exchange deal, with Juve only open to offering Pjanic in a straight swap for Arthur with no money changing hands.
Instead, Barcelona will only allow Arthur to leave Camp Nou if another club makes a major offer, with Quique Setien’s side looking to raise funds for a potential off-season bid for Inter forward Lautaro Martinez, among others.
Additionally, though Pjanic is open to moving to Barcelona after four seasons with the Serie A champions, Arthur is not interested in a move to Juventus.
“There is always speculation but my idea is clear. The only option that interests me is staying at Barcelona,” Arthur said last week.
Both clubs are set to enter an uncertain transfer window as the coronavirus pandemic continues to cause major economic instability in leagues across Europe.
Barcelona’s drawn-out pursuit of PSG star Neymar has already been put on the back burner, as Goal confirmed earlier this week that the Catalans would not have the funds available to bring the Brazil star back this summer.
The Blaugrana are looking to unload a number of players in the off-season to help fund the club’s transfer business, with Barca particularly keen to sell Ivan Rakitic and Arturo Vidal.
Rakitic is understood to be interested in returning to former club Sevilla, while Vidal favours a move to Inter – though the Serie A side have no interest in landing the Chilean as part of an exchange deal for Martinez.
