12 minutes
MILAN: Barcelona midfielder Arthur Melo (pix) will arrive in Turin later Saturday for a medical before moving to Serie A champions Juventus in exchange for Miralem Pjanic, according to reports in Italy.
Both medical visits have been set for Sunday with a deal expected to be closed by June 30, Sky Sports Italia and Gazzetta Dello Sport reported.
The agreement would see Juventus pay Barcelona 10 million euros (RM 50m), Gazzetta reported.
Arthur, 23, is valued at around 70 million euros (RM 337m) plus bonuses, while 30-year-old Pjanic, has a price tag of 60 million euros (RM288m).
Juventus bought the Bosnian from Serie A rivals Roma in 2016 for 32 million euros (RM 155m) while Arthur arrived in Spain from Gremio in 2017 for 31 million euros (RM 150m) plus bonuses.
Barcelona coach Quique Setien said Friday that the Catalan giants had not told him that Arthur would be sold.
“I’m counting on him," Setien told reporters ahead of Barca’s La Liga match at Celta Vigo on Saturday.
“We need to make sure that this noise doesn't affect him and that he is able to give his very best.”
Juventus moved seven points clear of Lazio at the top of the Serie A table on Friday with a 4-0 win over Lecce.
“Concerning Pjanic, we are sure that he will stay with us until the end of August,” said coach Maurizio Sarri.
“The lad is a great professional, very intelligent and he understands situations very quickly and knows how to adapt.” – AFP
