Juventus Transfers: 3 potential replacements for Arthur Melo

Arthur Melo’s proposed move to Arsenal is beginning to stall.

While the midfield-desperate Gunners are happy to pay the Brazilian’s entire salary for the rest of the season and the player himself is supposedly keen on a move to the Emirates, Juve’s inability to find a replacement is halting any move from happening.

As a result, Juve boss Massimiliano Allegri has continued to utilise the Brazilian midfielder at the start of 2022. Arthur started against Udinese on Saturday after appearing off the bench in the remarkable victory over AS Roma and last-gasp Supercoppa Italiana defeat.

He’s a player who’s begun to garner the trust of his manager after a slow start, but Juve are still happy to facilitate his departure this month – which will likely be a ‘dry’ six-month loan

3 moves Juventus could move that’d allow Arthur Melo to join Arsenal

But as we noted, his exit won’t occur unless a replacement is identified. Juve, however, have options on the table, and here are three possible moves the club could make that’d allow Arthur to join Arsenal this month.

Bruno Guimarães

Initial links to wonderful Lyon midfielder Bruno Guimarães surfaced last week and there’s no doubting that Juve’s interest in the Brazilian is serious.

Guimarães is exactly the profile of midfielder the Bianconeri should be targeting and it’s believed that a €45m fee will be enough to bring him to Turin. However, Juve’s financial situation means that they’re reluctant to splurge this sort of cash despite Guimarães’ talent.

Although, Lyon have provided an alternative for Juve: they could buy the Brazilian on loan this month with a €45m obligation to buy in the summer. Talks are believed to be ongoing between the two clubs.

Any move for Guimarães this month would most certainly facilitate Arthur’s exit to Arsenal. The Gunners are also keen on a move for Guimarães, although Arthur is understood to be the Gunners’ priority.

Denis Zakaria

Impending free agent Denis Zakaria is not the same player he was before his long-term knee injury, but he nonetheless remains a player with serious potential.

Juventus have been linked with a move for the Borussia Monchengladbach midfielder for some time now, but nothing has ever reached an advanced stage with the player’s entourage. Juve were understood to have made contact with Zakaria’s agent towards the end of 2021, but we’ve heard very little since the start of the new year.

Fabrizio Romano understands the club appreciate Zakaria but they’re yet to open talks with Gladbach over a cut-price January move. Although, Gianluca Di Marzio (via @BianconeriZone) reports that Juve have resumed contacts regarding Zakaria with Morik Di Natale writing that Allegri is an admirer of the Swiss international.

Di Natale adds that signing Zakaria would be the easiest deal to pull off financially.

Recall Nicolo Rovella

This is a solution we thought was dead and buried, but the possibility of recalling Nicolo Rovella from his Genoa loan will seemingly never go away.

Romeo Agresti reported in December that Juventus’ strategy regarding Rovella hadn’t changed and he’ll remain in Liguria until the end of the season. However, the latest from Gianluca Di Marzio suggests Juve’s plan may well have altered.

According to Di Marzio (via @JuveFC), the Bianconeri now intend to recall Rovella from Genoa immediately and contacts have been made with the Serie A strugglers. However, the young Italian midfielder picked up an injury ahead of his side’s 6-0 thrashing at Fiorentina, so that will have to be monitored before Juve make a decision.

Despite his youth, it’s believed that a Rovella recall would allow Arthur to leave the club this month.