Juventus director confirms Barca talks for Pjanic – Arthur swap

Juventus sporting director Fabio Paratici has confirmed that talks between the Serie A champions and Barcelona over a proposed swap deal involving Miralem Pjanic and Arthur Melo have been held, as relayed by AS.

Barcelona have long been pursuing the Bosnia and Herzegovina international, but in the current financial situation they are forced to seek for alternative solutions for bringing players in, rather than paying full transfer fees. It is believed that Pjanic isn’t opposed to the idea, unlike Arthur who has rejected the move away from the Catalan club several times. However, Paratici stresses that both players are yet to be convinced to accept the switch.

Paratici also pointed out that all teams are now in the process of playing important games with increased frequency, so both clubs prefer to ‘bypass’ this particular moment and focus on that. The timing of the deal is of secondary importance, but the main thing remains that an agreement acceptable to all parties involved is found.