Juventus and Barcelona have been at the negotiating table for the past several weeks, but there is one star midfielder La Blaugrana see as being off-limits.
Miralem Pjanic appears to be close to agreeing to a deal with Barcelona, completing a dream move from Juventus to the Catalan club. However, the Bianconeri and La Blaugrana still need to work out a fair swap deal, since the current market makes cash deals onerous.
Juve have their eyes on Arthur Melo, a young midfielder coming off a strong season in La Liga. Arthur has the potential to be the young, industrious, well-rounded midfielder Juventus desire, as they need to get significantly younger and better in the middle of the park. Cristiano Ronaldo and Paulo Dybala will thank them.
Prying Arthur from Barcelona won’t be easy, as the Spanish club are notoriously difficult to negotiate with. They want to unload former Bianconeri star Arturo Vidal or struggling veteran Ivan Rakitic to the Serie A giants, and neither player should interest Juve at all.
According to a report from Sport, Juventus decided to “shoot their shot” and ask for the best possible midfielder in Barcelona. They inquired about Frenkie de Jong‘s availability.
De Jong joined Barcelona from Ajax last season after an incredible 2018-2019 campaign with the Dutch club, helping them to a phenomenal Champions League run. He was good in his first season with Barcelona, but he could be an even better fit with Juventus.
That said, Barça unsurprisingly shut down Juve’s inquiry about de Jong, and Sport reports that the club did so quickly. They have no interest in selling such a valuable young midfielder, who could be one of the best players in Europe for them in a couple of years.
Mattia De Sciglio, Nelson Semedo, Pjanic, Arthur, Vidal, Rakitic, and other out-of-favor players are more likely to be involved in a swap deal, but if Barça want Pjanic, they will have to make Arthur a part of the package. And if Juve want Arthur, they will have to give up more than just Pjanic.