Barcelona has reached an agreement to sign, and initial € 60 million ($67.4 million) for Bosnian international midfielder Miralem Pjanic from Juventus, plus a further € 5 million in bonuses, the two clubs reported Monday.
The 30-year-old is going to Camp Nou on a four-year contract once the new, postponed season is over.
It was recently announced by the two clubs that Brazilian international midfielder would travel for €72 million-plus € 10 million in variables besides, in the opposite direction to Juventus in a separate deal.
Arthur and Pjanic will remain with their current teams until the end of the 2019-’20 campaign that includes the August knock-out stage of the revamped Champions League.
It raises the possibility that Arthur and Pjanic at the latter stages of the competition could face each other and their future clubs.
Arthur only joined Barca from the Brazilian side Gremio in 2018 and is praised as the club’s potential star, with many tipping him as Xavi Hernandez ‘s long-term replacement in central midfield.
The 23-year-old has been one of many players to stagnate this season after a promising start but is thought to be the primary reason for Arthur’s sale financially.
His exit brings Barcelona’s board and president Josep Maria Bartomeu under further scrutiny. They oversaw several haphazard activities in the transfer market and were accused of failing to provide the club with any clear sense of direction. Because of the coronavirus pandemic, Barcelona was hit hard by the three-month suspension and they had to put in about € 70 million to reach their current season budget.
The board will report the income from the sale by selling Arthur immediately before extending the payments for Pjanic over the length of the 30-year-old ‘s contract.
Barca made a similar trade last year by swapping goalkeeper Jasper Cillessen for Valencia’s Neto, in transactions worth around € 30 million each.
