BARCELONA, (Reuters) – Barcelona have reached an agreement to sell Brazil midfielder Arthur Melo to Juventus for a fee of 72 million euros ($80.98 million) and signed Bosnian Miralem Pjanic from the Italian champions for 60 million, the La Liga side said yesterday.
Pjanic, 30, will also move to the Camp Nou at the end of the campaign and sign a four-year contract containing a release clause of 400 million euros, said Barca’s statement, adding his transfer fee was worth an additional five million in variables.
The transfer helps Barca meet their target of a further 70 million euros in revenues from player sales before June 30, in line with the budget the club’s members approved last October which forecast income of 124 million euros from transfers.
Barcelona has the highest revenues in world football but their finances have been hit by the COVID-19 pandemic, affecting ticket sales, television rights and merchandising, leading the club to enact a 70% pay cut for players in April.
Arthur joined Barca from Brazilian side Gremio in July 2018 and was initially hailed as the heir to former club great Xavi Hernandez, with Lionel Messi saying he was surprised by the player’s similarities to the side’s former puppet master.
