Arthur Melo has attracted widespread interest – but Barcelona has jumped to the front of the queue.
Barcelona has been keeping an eye on the Gremio wonder kid for a long time and now it is reported that they have sent their representatives out to Brazil in order to finalize the deal. Mundo Deportivo is reporting that the Catalans are confident of getting the player for just €25m, despite the wonder kid’s buyout clause being €50 Million. The Spanish publications also report that Andre Cury took a flight from Barcelona to Porto Alegre in order to give a final push to the negotiations.
Arthur Has Continued To Make Speedy Progress Playing For Gremio In Brazil
Andre Cury has been working as Barca’s representative in South America since 2012 and has played a crucial role alongside former head of football relations Raul Sanllehi to bring Neymar from Santos to the Camp Nou. It is said that Barça will also put in the condition of allowing to return Arthur to Germio for the rest of the season on loan.
Last month Arthur met with Barca’s sporting director Robert Fernandez and an image of him wearing the Blaugrana colours was circulated online earlier this month. Manchester United, Chelsea and Real Madrid have also been linked with the midfielder but Mundo Deportivo reported on Wednesday that he has been given a green light to make a move to the Camp Nou.
MD:
Barça's representative in Brazil, André Cury, has arrived in Porte Alegre today to negotiate the arrival of Brazilian midfielder Arthur Melo (21) from Grëmio. Barça already have a personal agreement with the player. pic.twitter.com/Z3uYCwLD2b— ᵁᴸᵀᴿᴬ® (@UltraAutistic) January 26, 2018
Arthur has €50 million release clause and Germio officials have publicly said that any suitors would need to match it in order to lure him away from the homeland. The Brazilian has been capped at Under-17 and Under-20 levels for his country. The midfielder also helped his team win the 2017 Copa Libertadores and was also named as the Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A best newcomer in the same year.
Author’s Take-
Arthur has come to the attention of some of Europe’s biggest clubs after helping Gremio win this year’s Copa Libertadores- the South American version of the Champions League. He has also been compared with the likes of Andres Iniesta and Thiago Alcantara, so it won’t be a surprise to see him fitting in Barcelona’s midfield one day.
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