Black & White & Read All Over - The Arthur Melo-Miralem Pjanic swap deal: Tracking the updates"Alla Juventus vincere non è importante. È l'unica cosa che conta."https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/community_logos/47437/blackwhiteread-fave.png2020-07-02T12:30:00+02:00http://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/rss/stream/210668502020-07-02T12:30:00+02:002020-07-02T12:30:00+02:00What’s new Juventus signing Arthur Melo all about? We sought some answers.
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<img alt="FC Barcelona v Sevilla FC - La Liga" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/uHNh4fLhQPe2yTTZD8uV9XQ5Vqc=/155x142:4435x2995/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/67009037/1179443084.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Aitor Alcalde/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Luckily we know some people who know some people who were able to give us some insight about Juve’s newest signing.</p> <p id="BQydI2">Even though we’re entering the final stretch of the 2019-20 season during a time when we didn’t think would be happening at the beginning of the calendar year, there’s still business to take care of for Juventus. That involves a few transfers before the month of June came to an, with the headline grabber being a much-talked about swap deal with Barcelona.</p>
<p id="Yc27lr">Departing will be Miralem Pjanic, a player who has been rather good during his time at Juve.</p>
<p id="fc3Fnp">Arriving is Arthur Melo, a 23-year-old Brazilian midfielder who is viewed by many as a player who still has potential to grow into if he finds himself in the right situation.</p>
<p id="7pyptX">Could Juventus be that kind of situation?</p>
<p id="Bwgwll">And is Arthur the kind of player that will make Juve’s midfield — an area of the field that has been under the microscope for the better part of the last two or three years — better than it currently is?</p>
<p id="GYkBGl">That’s why we saw out some help from our SBN blog friends Barca Blaugranes. Specifically, we got the chance to chat with Barca Blaugranes Deputy Editor Renato Goncalves. Not only has Renato watched Arthur since joining Barcelona, but also lives in Brazil so he’s about as familiar as anybody we could have asked when it came to Juventus’ latest Brazilian signing. (<a href="https://sport.sky.it/calciomercato/2020/06/29/juve-giocatori-brasiliani">The 27th in club history</a>, in case you’re wondering.)</p>
<p id="tgl4lc">We sought some knowledge about Arthur seeing as it’s not like a lot of us were sitting around during the suspension of play and breaking down Barcelona game film. (But if you were, respect to you for finding something to occupy your time.)</p>
<p id="93SEsw">Away we go ...</p>
<p id="gVWOup"><strong>BWRAO:</strong> What kind of player is Arthur?</p>
<p id="bwWawL"><strong>BB:</strong> The positives are that he’s extremely smart when it comes to finding space on the pitch and loves to be on the ball as much as possible. The negative: Arthur lacks the intensity and frankly the stamina to play consistently for all 90 minutes, but he’s a brilliantly efficient player on his day.</p>
<p id="NbVN0S"><strong>BWRAO:</strong> Where is his best position — box-to-box or as a regista?</p>
<p id="Z7fmg9"><strong>BB:</strong> Arthur’s best position doesn’t exist at Barcelona or Sarri’s system. He’s what we Brazilians call a ‘segundo volante’ — one of the two holding midfielders in a 4-2-3-1 system who isn’t the primary defensive midfielder or the primary creative midfielder. He’s in between the two. Neither Barça nor Sarri play a 4-2-3-1, so you’re trying to fit a square peg into a round hole to begin with. So, with that in mind, he’s most likely to succeed as a regista, especially under Sarri. He won’t be required to come up with beautiful, Pirlo-like long balls to find runners. He’ll just get the ball from the defenders and find the nearest midfielder or fullback. He’s basically ... Pjanic! Just seven years younger.</p>
<p id="jpc80h"><strong>BWRAO:</strong> I’ve seen a lot of people say that Arthur has a lot of talent. But why hasn’t he broken into this Barcelona squad? It’s not like this current Barca midfield is Xavi, Iniesta and the like in their prime...</p>
<p id="DPkUfv"><strong>BB:</strong> That’s what is so frustrating, to be honest. He started his Barça career on fire and was exactly the guy I saw in Brazil and was so excited to watch at Barça. But when the schedule got tougher, then the fitness issues came up: he can’t play 90 minutes, and he needs to be rotated in and out constantly if you want him fit every time he plays. But you can’t get into a rhythm like that, his play became wildly inconsistent, and he lost confidence. But he was coached by Ernesto Valverde, who is terrible, and Quique Setién, who is also terrible, and he was asked to be a completely different player. Often what was asked of him exposed his weaknesses and hid his strengths, which is the exact opposite of what a coach should do. Sarri is a better coach who sees football differently and will play Arthur in a position where he’s more comfortable and asked to do less from an attacking standpoint, so that’s why I have hope to see the Arthur I saw at Grêmio.</p>
<p id="cbqRR9"><strong>BWRAO:</strong> Knowing that you’ve seen a whole lot more of him than most of us around here have, how do you think Arthur would fit into Juve’s midfield?</p>
<p id="mrJy1r"><strong>BB:</strong> He’s the closest comp to Jorginho there is, although Arthur is a slightly better defender than Jorginho. Sarri will play him in the Jorginho role and ask him to start the attack and not worry about anything else. If he’s given confidence by the coach and is allowed to play his way, he can be an improvement on Pjanic. I don’t know if he can be a huge improvement, though, because of the fitness thing. If he can’t work his body to a point where he can play 90 minutes every three or four days, he’ll be as inconsistent and frustrating as he was for me as a Barça fan. The talent’s clearly there, and you’re always hoping for more, but you don’t get it as much as you want.</p>
<p id="qEOABP"><strong>BWRAO:</strong> Juve’s midfield has been the clear weak spot of the squad for a couple of seasons now. Will Arthur make it better?</p>
<p id="zDMkG7"><strong>BB:</strong> He certainly has the potential, but he needs dynamic, intense, creative players ahead of him. Jorginho worked so well at Napoli because he had a really well-rounded box-to-box midfielder in Allan and a goal-oriented, attacking midfielder in Hamsik. If Sarri wants Arthur to be as good as Jorginho and better than Pjanic, he needs to worry about who’s playing with Arthur in the midfield three. Arthur himself isn’t good enough to fix it.</p>
<p id="Bwj8DQ"><strong>BWRAO:</strong> All that being said, are you a fan of this deal or does it make you want to throw some things against the wall?</p>
<p id="TAZwGu"><strong>BB:</strong> As a Barça fan, I would defend this deal if all we did was sell Arthur to Juventus for a good amount of money. It makes sense, especially if we’re giving our younger midfielders, like Riqui Puig, the chance to start every week. But we’re getting Pjanic back, and although I like his game, he’s an older version of Arthur who won’t do anything special. Because of our president I’m not even mad about how stupid this deal is. It’s just another on a long list of indefensible decisions, but I’ll be really mad if Arthur works at Juve. I was a giant fan of him two years ago and I still think he can become a star, and if he reaches his potential at Juve in a couple of years while we’re desperately trying to get 33-year-old Pjanic of our books but nobody will take him because we overpaid his salary, I don’t know what I’m gonna do.</p>
https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2020/7/2/21307958/arthur-melo-juventus-barcelona-2020-serie-a-la-liga-summer-transfers-scouting-reportDanny Penza2020-06-29T18:50:21+02:002020-06-29T18:50:21+02:00OFFICIALLY OFFICIAL: Juventus, Barcelona complete Arthur Melo, Miralem Pjanic swap deal
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<img alt="Real Madrid CF v FC Barcelona - La Liga" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/iXzTxHHwNIyvplIHl2xwRFi_ym4=/91x61:3531x2354/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66996115/1209987168.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Diego Souto/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>You’ll have to wait for the players to actually swap teams, but the swap is now a done deal.</p> <p id="WrQXsi">It wasn’t that long ago where there looked to be very little hope of the Arthur Melo-Miralem Pjanic swap deal that has been reported in the press for weeks actually going down. It was more to do with what was going on on the Spanish side of things rather than the <a href="https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/">Juventus</a> part of the equation. There was hesitation on Arthur’s part, and that meant a deal was in serious danger of falling apart before it truly materialized into anything significant.</p>
<p id="nFzDRD">Yet, with Arthur’s arrival in Turin and subsequent medical exams on Sunday, those fears were officially gone. Done and dusted — forever and ever and ever.</p>
<p id="FMHccQ">Arthur is officially a Juventus player, the club announced on Monday. He is part of the kind of deal many Juve followers expect to see this summer — a swap deal with a little bit of cash going one way along with a player or two. In this case, it’s the player we’ve known <a href="https://www.barcablaugranes.com/">Barcelona</a> to want all along — Miralem Pjanic. With Arthur valued at €72 million and Pjanic at €60 million, Juventus will see €12 million head to Spain as part of the deal as well as the 30-year-old Bosnian midfielder who was signed from Roma in 2016.</p>
<p id="PTTA9F">As has been previously reported, Arthur signed his new five-year contract with Juventus after Sunday’s medical exams. Pjanic also did his medical and contract signing on Sunday.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">OFFICIAL | Juventus agree deal with <a href="https://twitter.com/FCBarcelona?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@FCBarcelona</a> to sign <a href="https://twitter.com/arthurhromelo?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@arthurhromelo</a> and for the sale of <a href="https://twitter.com/Miralem_Pjanic?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Miralem_Pjanic</a>.</p>— JuventusFC (@juventusfcen) <a href="https://twitter.com/juventusfcen/status/1277644305948180480?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2020</a>
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<p id="6Hqoc5">The details of the deal, <a href="https://www.juventus.com/en/news/articles/official-arthur-pjanic-agreements-with-fc-barcelona">courtesy Juventus’ official website</a>:</p>
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<p id="kfj9iQ">Turin, 29 June 2020 - Juventus Football Club S.p.A. announces that these agreements have been finalized with FC Barcelona: </p>
<p id="Y10wEm">• definitive acquisition of the registration rights of the player Arthur Henrique Ramos De Oliveira Melo for a consideration of € 72 million payable in four financial years. The purchase value may increase of maximum € 10 million on achieving given conditions during the course of the contract. Juventus and the player have signed a 5-year contract of employment valid until 30 June 2025; </p>
<p id="rLSjXJ">• definitive disposal of the registration rights of the player Miralem Pjanić for a consideration of € 60 million payable in four financial years. The consideration may increase of further € 5 million on achieving given conditions during the course of the contract. The economic effect is positive for about € 41.8 million, net of solidarity contribution and auxiliary expenses.</p>
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<p id="mPTjsP">The obvious weird part about all of this is that both Pjanic and Arthur won’t actually move to their new clubs until the current season comes to an end. This is very much a high-profile move, but it’s also like delayed gratification — hopefully — because of how this pandemic has thrown everything off schedule.</p>
<p id="3rY3NR">But, the fact still remains, Juventus has a new midfielder and heading to Spain is a midfielder who, for a large portion of the 2019-20 season, has struggled to truly fit into a system that we all thought he could truly thrive in.</p>
<p id="j6HRl7">Pjanic’s struggles under <span>Maurizio Sarri</span> this season could very well be a microcosm of the team’s for as a whole. Pjanic has been off for much of the season, with the games off 100-plus touches long gone. Up until this past Friday’s 4-0 win over <a href="https://www.sbnation.com/soccer/serie-a/teams/lecce">Lecce</a>, it was hard to point to a game and say that Pjanic was one of Juve’s best players on the field. That’s not what we thought would happen last summer when Sarri replaced Max Allegri and brought with him a system that was supposed to make Pjanic the hub of the midfield.</p>
<p id="mV7pen">Instead, 12 months later, he’s now part of a swap deal that brings the eight-time defending Italian champions some added energy in what is hopefully a revamped and revitalized midfield.</p>
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<p lang="it" dir="ltr">Ringrazio per il grande interesse da parte della <a href="https://twitter.com/juventusfc?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@juventusfc</a> per l'integrazione alla società. Sò di andare ad appartenere ad un grande club; ci aspettano molte sfide da superare insieme ai bianconeri. <a href="https://t.co/SN6ud64xie">pic.twitter.com/SN6ud64xie</a></p>— Arthur Melo (@arthurhromelo) <a href="https://twitter.com/arthurhromelo/status/1277638546195722241?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 29, 2020</a>
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<p id="LENqeY">We don’t know exactly where Arthur will fit into Sarri’s midfield next season. He might be a regista, he might be a box-to-box player in the same way Rodrigo Bentancur is now. We just don’t know yet, and we will have to wait until September for all of that. But what we do know is that Arthur, at the age of 23, has time on his side to potentially grow into this Juventus team even though there will be pressure on him to contribute right away based on the kind of transfer he’s involved in.</p>
<p id="lrcJd7">For now, though, Arthur is Juventus’ first transfer of the summer of 2020. Maybe not in the way we envisioned or for because there’s another talented player in Pjanic involved in the deal. But still, Arthur has the chance to be the first player in helping Juve’s midfield take a step up in quality — and that is something we’ve been waiting over two years to happen now.</p>
https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2020/6/29/21306120/official-juventus-barcelona-complete-arthur-melo-miralem-pjanic-swap-deal-transfer-news-confirmationDanny Penza2020-06-29T02:22:20+02:002020-06-29T02:22:20+02:00Reports: Arthur Melo, Miralem Pjanic have signed contracts with their new clubs
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<img alt="Miralem Pjanic of Juventus FC during the Serie A match..." src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/QAOAVBHwWA3AfqDDZgW2qWanQ6U=/0x0:5000x3333/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66993694/1223057543.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>“Mire, how many years did Juventus give Arthur?” | Photo by Marco Canoniero/LightRocket via Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Another step closer to an official announcement.</p> <p id="B9aG4P">Now that Arthur Melo and Miralem Pjanic have finished their respective medical exams, the steps left to take before they join their new clubs is only a few very obvious ones.</p>
<p id="7nh6fj">Like, you know, signing their new contracts.</p>
<p id="DD0lHd">And after doing the medical part of the deal, you can probably guess putting their signature on some official club documents only seemed natural.</p>
<p id="MIeQRC">According to multiple Italian football journalists, that’s exactly what happened.</p>
<p id="egFtKD"><a href="https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1277298456512598016">Fabrizio Romano of Sky Sport Italia</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/romeoagresti/status/1277293473171935232">Goal Italia’s Romeo Agresti</a> have both reported Sunday night that Arthur has put pen to paper on his fancy new five-year contract with Juventus that will run through 2025, with the latter adding Pjanic has also signed his deal with Barcelona. Earlier reports have stated that Arthur’s contract with Juventus will see him earn €5 million net per season, which has been viewed as a big tipping point when it comes to convincing the 23-year-old Brazilian to leave Barcelona.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Juve?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Juve</a>: c’è la firma di <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Arthur?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Arthur</a>, annuncio ufficiale nelle prossime ore // Juve: Arthur has signed his contract with Juve. Official announcement expected in the coming hours ✍️ ⚪️⚫️<br><br> <a href="https://t.co/clK8LyAGSy">https://t.co/clK8LyAGSy</a><br> <a href="https://twitter.com/GoalItalia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@GoalItalia</a></p>— Romeo Agresti (@romeoagresti) <a href="https://twitter.com/romeoagresti/status/1277293473171935232?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2020</a>
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<p id="cIHdlI">When, exactly, “in the coming hours” is remains to be seen. The general line of thinking is that it will be announced at some point over the next few days at the very most seeing as the fiscal year comes to a close at the end of June. Since this is an amortization kind of packaged deal, the benefit of doing it now rather than when we expect the actual transfer window to open up for business is rather obvious.</p>
<p id="s8ZBaJ">And, knowing how the transfer market is going to be impacted by the coronavirus pandemic, seeing this happen now with the arrival of Arthur to actually take place two months from now is pretty understandable.</p>
<p id="dn4OzG">It also makes you realize that <a href="https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2020/6/27/21305032/juventus-4-0-lecce-recap-red-card-ronaldo-dybala-goals-sarri-comments-pjanic-barcelona-arthur-latest">Maurizio Sarri’s comment about Pjanic staying until the end of August </a>means that it’s pretty much due to the fact that it’s when Juve’s Champions League obligations will come to a close. Or, basically, a hint that this transfer was never going to see either player switch teams immediately since both of them are currently in the midst of the final weeks of the 2019-20 season.</p>
https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2020/6/29/21306361/arthur-melo-barcelona-juventus-2020-serie-a-la-liga-summer-transfers-medical-exams-contractsDanny Penza2020-06-28T10:30:11+02:002020-06-28T10:30:11+02:00Arthur Melo undergoing medical ahead of Juventus transfer
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<img alt="RC Celta de Vigo v FC Barcelona - La Liga" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/ovdWQ88bEDytYS4dd77TvfumHMw=/0x0:4500x3000/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66992153/1252929575.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Jose Manuel Alvarez/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p id="KJfXji">There was a time where Arthur Melo walking through the doors of J Medical seemed like a complete impossibility. He didn’t want to leave Barcelona, he made it be known on more than one occasion and the swap deal that he was rumored to be involved in was very much in danger of happening because Arthur had no interest in leaving the Camp Nou.</p>
<p id="0RKSZm">That was a couple of weeks ago.</p>
<p id="GtaGSK">Just around midnight in Italy on Saturday, the thing that we didn’t think was possible just a week or two took place. Mr. Melo, the man who was so staunch in his desire to stay at Barcelona, landed at the Turin airport and hopefully got a good night’s sleep ahead of running on a treadmill and the like.</p>
<p id="tBiEKQ">Arthur has indeed walked through the doors at J Medal — which, based on this whole transfer saga over the past month didn’t even look like it was possible until a few days ago. But, now that Arthur has in fact traveled to Turin and started the final details of his move to Juventus, it’s no long er just paper talk. Even though he almost certainly won’t be a Juventus player this season, Arthur will be part of the swap deal that will see Miralem Pjanic (and €10 million in transfer fees) head to Barcelona come the end of the season and the delayed opening of the summer transfer window.</p>
<p id="KloNbv">According to reports, Miralem Pjanic has also arrived at J Medical for his medical exam with Barcelona. (Which, I might add, must be a little awkward seeing as he’s still a Juventus player yet using Juventus’ fancy new medical facility to undergo a medical for his new team.)</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Juventus?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Juventus</a>: visite mediche in corso per <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Arthur?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Arthur</a> // Arthur is currently undergoing a medical at <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Juventus?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Juventus</a> ⚪️⚫️ <a href="https://twitter.com/GoalItalia?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Goalitalia</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/goal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@Goal</a></p>— Romeo Agresti (@romeoagresti) <a href="https://twitter.com/romeoagresti/status/1277147828134064130?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 28, 2020</a>
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<p id="DlGATh">There he is, everybody. The newest Brazilian to join Juventus. Yes, even though we will have to wait a few more months for him to actually play a game with Juventus, this is the day that not many of us thought would be happening a week or so ago.</p>
<p id="VuBbyQ">There will be plenty of time between now and then to figure out where he fits into the Juventus midfield. And for all we know, they might not be done when it comes to upgrading and making changes to the area of the field that has trended more and more down the last couple of years. We know Juve need a fresh injection of energy, and acquiring Arthur is the first step in that process. (First is the emphasis, because we know he shouldn’t be the only one.)</p>
<p id="Iwjd1b">Fact is, we heard from Juventus Chief Football Officer Fabio Paratici about how this summer was going to be like nothing we’ve ever seen before, and it is very much looking that way. Not only is there going to be a title race going in July and August, but Juve will likely announce their first signing of the summer in June and then won’t even arrive at the club officially until September. Good times, all of this.</p>
https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2020/6/28/21305871/arthur-melo-barcelona-juventus-2020-serie-a-la-liga-summer-transfers-medical-examsDanny Penza2020-06-27T20:41:32+02:002020-06-27T20:41:32+02:00Reports: Arthur Melo, Miralem Pjanic medicals set for Sunday in Turin
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<img alt="SSC Napoli v FC Barcelona - UEFA Champions League Round of 16: First Leg" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/xYzVSakA7Qg2gsKU8ptqrqduyqA=/208x270:6004x4134/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66991325/1203407565.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by MB Media/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The wheels are in motion.</p> <p id="Tr463T">For weeks we waited for Arthur Melo to actually <a href="https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2020/6/25/21303509/arthur-melo-miralem-pjanic-barcelona-juventus-2020-serie-a-la-liga-summer-transfer-rumors">give his stamp of approval when it came to signing with Juventus</a>. With that rather large and important detail to this rumored deal out of the way, we can now move forward with the final details of the deal that will end with both players happily signing their new contracts with their new clubs.</p>
<p id="ElTfHb">The first step? Medicals.</p>
<p id="5Tob33">And with a season still going on during a global pandemic, that’s not necessarily an easy thing.</p>
<p id="TI87Od">But, even with Juventus and Barcelona playing games within the last 24 hours, both Arthur and Pjanic are set to undergo their respective medical exams on Sunday in Turin, according to reports from <a href="https://gianlucadimarzio.com/en/pjanic-arthur-medicals-confirmed-the-latest">Sky Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio</a> and <a href="https://www.goal.com/it/notizie/arthur-alla-juventus-pjanic-al-barcellona-domenica-visite/1n21y0ujm40eo1nm0j3u71j81o">Romeo Agresti of Goal Italia</a>. Why Turin for both players? Well, because of the coronavirus pandemic, there are still travel restrictions in place on flights from Italy to Spain. both players will have to get their medical exams done in Italy, not at their respective future club’s headquarters.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pjanic?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pjanic</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Arthur?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Arthur</a> ⚪️⚫️<br><br>Medical tests for both players scheduled for tomorrow <a href="https://twitter.com/goal?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">@goal</a> <a href="https://t.co/fkYLigLFys">pic.twitter.com/fkYLigLFys</a></p>— Romeo Agresti (@romeoagresti) <a href="https://twitter.com/romeoagresti/status/1276877531845713921?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 27, 2020</a>
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<p id="106zNl">While the medicals will reportedly happen by weekend’s end, both players will stay with their current clubs until the season is over. Because of the financial details and the impact of both moves on the balance sheets, both ends of the deal are expected to be announced before the end of June when the fiscal year comes to an end.</p>
<p id="m0HHsM">The latest reported details of the deal are: Arthur is valued at €70 million, Pjanic is valued at €60 million, meaning Juventus will send Pjanic and €10 million to Barcelona.</p>
<p id="n4GWOf">The reason why things have gone from not looking so good in terms of Juventus signing Arthur to now medical exams taking place before the weekend is over has everything to do with the fact that Barcelona has now, more than ever, made its intentions known in terms of the 23-year-old Brazilian’s future at the club. Arthur, both from his own mouth and though reports in the Spanish and Italian press, was insistent on staying at Barcelona because he felt like it was the club that he was best suited for.</p>
<p id="KfNpPU">That’s obviously changed.</p>
<p id="vSTMES">And now because of it, he’s about to land in Turin for a medical exam and start a new adventure with Juventus. Or, at least get ready for a new adventure. If this season has taught us anything, it’s that we need to be patient for things to happen. We’ll have to be patient when it comes to seeing Arthur’s first game as a Juventus player.</p>
https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2020/6/27/21305491/arthur-melo-miralem-pjanic-barcelona-juventus-2020-serie-a-la-liga-summer-transfer-rumorsDanny Penza2020-06-25T21:30:48+02:002020-06-25T21:30:48+02:00Reports: After weeks of uncertainty, Arthur Melo says ‘yes’ to Juventus
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<img alt="Real Madrid CF v FC Barcelona - La Liga" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/kaRinIpF_-NH4bJ-RU81IArOosg=/0x0:4000x2667/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66982961/1210168994.jpg.0.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Mateo Villalba/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>The final major hurdle appears to be finally jumped over.</p> <p id="5pJtGV">In what is going to be a transfer window like we’ve never truly seen before, Juventus and Barcelona reportedly had all the boxes checked for their proposed Arthur Melo and Miralem Pjanic swap deal. All of them, except for one.</p>
<p id="RHb54T">You know, that whole “Arthur doesn’t want to move to Juventus” thing.</p>
<p id="PvKL0u">Well, after weeks of playing the very annoying “Will he or won’t he?” game, we look to have an answer. Not an official answer, but the next best thing.</p>
<p id="NY5eb0">According to multiple reports out of Italy on Thursday, Arthur has finally given the green light to the Spanish side of the swap deal with Juventus and Pjanic. That also means that Arthur has agreed personal terms with Juventus, with the Italian champions set to pay the 23-year-old Brazilian €5 million net a season over the course of the next five years, a<a href="https://gianlucadimarzio.com/en/barcelona-arthur-says-yes-to-juventus-move-swap-deal-with-pjanic-down-to-final-details">ccording to Sky Sport Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio</a>.</p>
<p id="KsYcn8">The numbers are being reported in line with what we’ve heard over the last 24 hours: €70 million (plus another €5 million in bonuses) for Arthur, €60 million for Pjanic.</p>
<p id="KzialY"> An amortization special, everybody! (And while the numbers might be a little different than what we’re hearing coming out of the Italian press, <a href="https://twitter.com/SwissRamble/status/1276039133396373504">this is a very helpful Twitter thread</a> from the man behind the Swiss Ramble blog.)</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr">Arthur has accepted Juventus bid! He’s going to join Juventus on a swap deal - Miralem Pjanic (+ €10M) to Barcelona as part of the agreement. Last details to be resolved and then here we go! <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Juventus?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Juventus</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Barcelona?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Barcelona</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FCB?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FCB</a> <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/transfers?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#transfers</a></p>— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) <a href="https://twitter.com/FabrizioRomano/status/1276160187053850624?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2020</a>
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<p id="dV2tyo">This was the one hurdle that, from the start, appeared to be the thing that would derail this deal. Pjanic reportedly agreed to terms with Barcelona relatively quickly. Then we got word that Juventus and Barcelona had agreed to the framework of the deal, although those numbers have changed a little bit over the last few days. All that was left for Arthur to give his stamp of approval on signing with Juventus, something that seemed completely up in their air as to whether it would actually happen up until a couple of days ago.</p>
<p id="EFwZxu">But, as things have progressed over the last 48 or 72 hours, the possibility of Arthur saying “yes” to Juventus has become more and more possible. Even as he got the start in Barcelona’s 1-0 win over Athletic Club, the reports were that Barca had given the indication that they did truly intend to sell Arthur come the summer transfer window. And seeing as the tune of whether Arthur will green light a move to Juventus has changed drastically over that time, the dots can be connected to something major happening. (Besides Juve offering him a nice contract to sign upon his arrival in Turin.)</p>
<p id="vwbRr9">And because of it, Juventus truly looks set to make its first major move of the 2020 summer. I know I’ve been saying that for a few days now, but it’s looking like it’s going to actually happen now. This was the major hurdle, and Juve look like they’ve finally been able to clear it.</p>
https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2020/6/25/21303509/arthur-melo-miralem-pjanic-barcelona-juventus-2020-serie-a-la-liga-summer-transfer-rumorsDanny Penza2020-06-25T11:55:11+02:002020-06-25T11:55:11+02:00Reports: Juventus closing in on deal for Arthur Melo
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<img alt="FC Barcelona v Athletic Club - La Liga" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/5PWGjKGnT_oqVy3NOPjHRjQM9eo=/0x172:4000x2839/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66979405/1251695853.jpg.5.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Eric Alonso/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Developments!</p> <p id="WqrCL1">As compared to a few weeks ago where there was maybe some progress and then definitely not much progress, the possibility of Juventus signing Barcelona midfielder Arthur Melo as part of a swap deal with Miralem Pjanic is about as close to its been than ever before.</p>
<p id="obgfk8">Wednesday brought us the report from Sky Sport Italia’s Gianluca Di Marzio that <a href="https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2020/6/24/21302130/arthur-melo-barcelona-juventus-2020-serie-a-la-liga-summer-transfer-rumors">Arthur is about as open to a move to Juventus as he’s ever been</a>. (You gotta read those signals properly or else you’ll get yourself burned, folks.)</p>
<p id="QVL4Iu">A day later, signs are pointing toward a deal getting closer and closer to being completed.</p>
<p id="sNdBNu">According to reports from <a href="https://gianlucadimarzio.com/en/juventus-barcelona-swap-deal-involving-pjanic-and-arthur-could-be-closed-in-the-next-48-hours">Di Marzio</a>, <a href="https://www.espn.com/soccer/soccer-transfers/story/4119805/juventusbarcelona-close-to-arthurpjanic-transfer-exchange-sources">ESPN</a> and <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoSchira/status/1276075328759369728">La Gazetta dello Sport’s Nico Schira</a>, Juventus are becoming more and more confident that a deal will be able to be completed, possibly as early as the end of this weekend. The obvious sticking point is still the one we’ve been curious about all along — Arthur actually saying yes to Juventus. But, as Di Marzio reports, Arthur has accepted the fact that Barcelona’s desire is to sell him, and now his indication is to try and get a nice little chunk of change when it comes to his contract with Juventus.</p>
<p id="nz0MqV">Schira says that Juve has offered the 23-year-old Brazilian a five-year contract worth €5.2 million net per season.</p>
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<p lang="en" dir="ltr"><a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Juventus?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Juventus</a> will wait <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Arthur?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Arthur</a>’s answer until Sunday. Total agreeement with <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Bar%C3%A7a?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Barça</a> for a swap with Miralem <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Pjanic?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Pjanic</a> (4-years contract with a wages of €7,5M a year) + €10M. The brazilian player is evaluating <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/Juve?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#Juve</a>’s bid, that have offered 5-years contract (€5,2M a year). <a href="https://twitter.com/hashtag/FCB?src=hash&ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">#FCB</a></p>— Nicolò Schira (@NicoSchira) <a href="https://twitter.com/NicoSchira/status/1276075328759369728?ref_src=twsrc%5Etfw">June 25, 2020</a>
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<p id="12S28f">There’s another important part of Di Marzio’s report: Juventus’ price that they will pay for Arthur will be €70 million, not the €75 million that he reported a day earlier. That means the difference between the fee for Arthur and the fee for Pjanic will be the €10 million figure that we’ve been hearing for the last few days — which falls pretty much in line with previous reporting even though the actual transfer fees might be different.</p>
<p id="D1olTY">Now, the interesting part of this whole negotiation is the fact that both of these players are still very much active for their current teams. The coronavirus pandemic has thrown everything for a loop, but the fact that Pjanic has reportedly said yes to a move to Barcelona but is still very much part of Juventus’ midfield — to what level of effectiveness is your judgement, not mine — is quite the interesting twist to a deal that has been plenty interesting already.</p>
<p id="FbUITE">But if multiple outlets — yes, even the ones that aren’t exactly 100 percent reliable — are reporting that Juventus are confident that a deal for Arthur is very much possible and close to happening, then all that we need to wait for is that “Yes” moment. And once it does, then Juventus’ first major business of the summer will be a thing. Good times.</p>
https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2020/6/25/21302790/arthur-melo-miralem-pjanic-barcelona-juventus-2020-serie-a-la-liga-summer-transfer-rumorsDanny Penza2020-06-24T22:17:37+02:002020-06-24T22:17:37+02:00Report: Arthur Melo giving ‘significant signals’ he’ll accept a Juventus move
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<img alt="FC Barcelona v Getafe CF - La Liga" src="https://cdn.vox-cdn.com/thumbor/qhp1msqBaPEYlfvy29Cow4nTNwo=/0x0:4000x2667/1310x873/cdn.vox-cdn.com/uploads/chorus_image/image/66977498/1206479982.jpg.5.jpg" />
<figcaption>Photo by Mateo Villalba/Quality Sport Images/Getty Images</figcaption>
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<p>Progress! ... maybe.</p> <p id="3dAGNj">It wasn’t even 24 hours ago that Sky Sport Italia transfer Gianluca Di Marzio was telling us that <a href="https://gianlucadimarzio.com/en/juventus-barcelona-increasingly-positive-about-pjanic-arthur-swap-deal">something noteworthy was going to happen on the Arthur Melo-to-Juventus transfer front</a> in relatively short order. We didn’t know what exactly, but when you dangle that kind of carrot in front of us all you better deliver the goods — at least that’s what I think.</p>
<p id="dVtd6m">So what did we get?</p>
<p id="uNI7fL">Well, some good news if you’re hoping to see Arthur play for Juventus in a few months.</p>
<p id="8n4T3F"><a href="https://gianlucadimarzio.com/en/juventus-barcelona-pjanic-for-arthur-swap-gains-traction-the-latest">According to Di Marzio on Wednesday</a>, the 23-year-old Brazilian midfielder is “is giving significant signals he’ll accept” a move to Juventus after being rather hesitant about it and quite steadfast in his desire to stay at <a href="https://www.barcablaugranes.com/">Barcelona</a> over the course of the last month. This comes a day after Sky Sports News in the United Kingdom reported that J<a href="https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2020/6/24/21300947/arthur-melo-barcelona-juventus-2020-serie-a-la-liga-summer-transfer-rumors">uventus and Barcelona had agreed to an €80 million valuation for Arthur</a>. And while the valuations that Di Marzio reported are a little lower than what his counterparts in the U.K. said, the fact that there is more and more optimism that Arthur will accept the other half of the deal that would see Miralem Pjanic head to Spain.</p>
<p id="Oujs8z">More from Di Marzio:</p>
<blockquote><p id="QBsTRC">The clubs reached an agreement for the valuation of the players: Pjanic is valued at € 60 million while Arthur at € 75 million, so Juventus will have to add about € 10 million in set fee plus € 5 million in bonuses. The last step involves Arthur giving his final approval, the Brazilian midfielder is now much more convinced by the destination and is giving significant signals he’ll accept.</p></blockquote>
<p id="DHqLiP">You will notice the first part of that report where Di Marzio talks about transfer fees is where things differ from what we heard a day ago. In that report, Arthur was valued at €80 million, Pjanic at €70 and the difference was €10 million extra that Juve would send to Barcelona in the deal. This version, which obviously could more a lot more accurate based on Di Marzio’s reliability on these things, would have Juve sending €5 million more than originally though if some bonuses are reached.</p>
<p id="7LEekm">But, like we’ve been saying all along, the big sticking point in this deal happening or going totally up in smoke has been Arthur’s willingness to accept a move to Juventus.</p>
<p id="NQqosO">We’ve heard that he was becoming <a href="https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2020/5/25/21269434/juventus-barcelona-arthur-melo-miralem-pjanic-2020-serie-a-la-liga-summer-transfer-rumors">more and more open to a move</a>.</p>
<p id="C7V7Zh">We then heard that his willingness to sign with Juve <a href="https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2020/5/31/21275949/juventus-barcelona-arthur-melo-miralem-pjanic-2020-serie-a-la-liga-summer-transfer-rumors">might not be as willing as we thought</a>.</p>
<p id="GBf2FB">Now, according to Di Marzio, that willingness is back and Juventus could very well be trying to strike a deal while the iron is hot — which, knowing how things may be completely unpredictable in the upcoming <a href="http://www.sbnation.com/transfer-rumors">transfer window</a>, would probably be a good idea.</p>
https://www.blackwhitereadallover.com/2020/6/24/21302130/arthur-melo-barcelona-juventus-2020-serie-a-la-liga-summer-transfer-rumorsDanny Penza