Juventus Transfer News: How Miralem Pjanic could be part of another swap deal
Last summer, Juventus completed one of the most shocking swap deals of the summer transfer window, as they sent deep-lying playmaker Miralem Pjanic to Barcelona for up-and-coming center midfielder Arthur Melo. Negotiations had been ongoing for weeks and seemed to be going nowhere, with both Arthur and Barça reluctant to make a move. But then, suddenly, it happened.
Now one year later, neither Arthur nor Pjanic have completely settled with their teams. But at least Arthur has shown some quality and potential. Pjanic has been completely cast aside, to no surprise of fans of both clubs who saw this as a lopsided deal against La Blaugrana.
And Pjanic could be headed back to Turin. According to a report from Catalunya Radio’s Gerard Romero, via Corriere dello Sport, Juventus and Barcelona have been in talks for “weeks” regarding a potential swap deal between Rodrigo Bentancur and Miralem Pjanic.
Bentancur has been mired in transfer rumors over the past couple of months, as his poor start to the season has only gotten worse. His lack of ball security has been a huge issue, and the assists have dried up as well.
Juventus probably shouldn’t do a Rodrigo Bentancur for Miralem Pjanic swap deal with Barcelona
Reuniting with Pjanic is a rumor straight out of the blue, because it appeared Juve were done with him after the trade. But clearly, he is not settled in Barcelona and should probably leave the Catalan club. Pjanic was not great in 2019-2020, but he provided good deliveries and control of the pitch, which is much more than can be said for pretty much every other current Juventus midfielder.
Ideally, the Bianconeri will sign Manuel Locatelli this summer. Houssem Aouar and Rodrigo De Paul are two other strong options in midfield. They need help, and they need someone up-and-coming or in their prime.
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At 31, Pjanic is past his prime. Bentancur has been worse this season than Pjanic was last season, but it’s worth mentioning that he was better last season than Pjanic this season. And he has more future upside. So after Barcelona gifted Arthur to Juventus last summer, maybe the Bianconeri shouldn’t offer a similar gift in response this year.