Arthur Melo has attracted widespread interest – but Barcelona has jumped to the front of the queue. It is now reported that Barcelona is closing on a deal to bring the midfielder to Camp Nou.

Barcelona has been keeping an eye on the Gremio wonder kid from 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 earlier reported 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 reporter that Barcelona representative Andre Cury took a flight from Barcelona to Porto Alegre in order to give a final push to the negotiations. 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 was said that Barça will also put in the condition of allowing to return Arthur to Germio for the rest of the season on loan.

Deal Is Done And Dusted:

Now according to Spanish publications Marca, Barcelona is close to adding him to their list of winter signings which includes Yerry Mina and Philippe Coutinho. Marca further reported that deal is virtually done but the Cules would have wait to see him in action as he won’t join the squad either this summer or in 2019.

It is suggested that Barcelona is using this strategy so that Gremio reduces their asking price for the player. Brazilian media UOL are also reporting that meeting will take place in the next few hours to close the deal.

MD:
Barça and Grëmio could meet in the next few hours to close an agreement for the transfer of midfielder Arthur Melo (21). Barça representative, André Cury, was sent to Brazil by the club on Thursday to initiate talks. The Catalan club hopes to pay around €25m. pic.twitter.com/LI9ynxjoID

— ᵁᴸᵀᴿᴬ® (@UltraAutistic) January 28, 2018

Last month Arthur met with Barca’s sporting director Robert Fernandez and an image of him wearing the Blaugrana colors 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.

Why is Barcelona after Melo with bigger names linked with the club?

Names like Leon Goretzka, Houssem Aouar, Thiago Alcantara and even Marco Verratti has been linked with the Catalans in the past. But with Goretzka agreeing to a move to Bayern Munich on a free transfer and Aouar failing to impress any of his potential suitors this season, Barcelona will be going for Arthur. Marco Verratti is certainly an option but is out of reach as Paris Saint-Germain are unwilling to start the negotiations. And all this surely makes Arthur Melo a viable target for Barça.

Renato Gaucho (coach Gremio):
"During my holidays I spoke a lot with the president, and both Arthur and Luan could be sold depending on the club and offers that arrive. The rest of the squad I'm sure will continue with us, it's all under control." pic.twitter.com/LQVP5AuKR7

— FC Barcelona (@BarcaUniversal) January 28, 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.

The post Finally The Wait Is Almost Over As Barcelona Close In On Their Third Major Signing appeared first on The12thMan.