Juventus and Barcelona enter into negotiations over an interesting swap deal
For over a month, there have been strong rumours linking Miralem Pjanic to Barcelona in a possible swap deal that would include Arthur Melo moving to Juventus instead. The 30-year-old Bosnian midfielder is eager on accomplishing his life-long dream of being a Blaugrana despite his age.
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Arthur Melo’s time at the Camp Nou has been successful so far on the pitch despite struggling this season, however, off the pitch, the Brazilian has caused a lot of issues for the management and the board due to his hedonistic lifestyle that involves several night outs and excessive partying. The young Brazilian has even struggled with maintaining his weight this season due to his lifestyle and has shown glimpses of running out of breath before half-time as well.
Despite the strong rumours linking Arthur Melo to Juventus, the former Gremio midfielder has made it clear to the board that he will continue this summer at the Camp Nou. With Arthur Melo out of the operation, Josep Maria Bartomeu has now included Ousmane Dembele instead for the services of Miralem Pjanic, according to Don Balon.
The board at Turin considers the offer to be worthwhile since Maurizio Sarri currently lacks world-class right-winger in his squad as Juan Cuadrado has been deployed as a right-back this season after the departure of Joao Cancelo to Manchester City.
Although Ousmane Dembele is still injured and would not return to action until early August, Juventus still consider the swap deal since the French forward would add more attacking options from the right-flank. The former Borussia-Dortmund man, when 100% fit is one of the most dangerous wingers due to his equally strong feet while striking a ball and his lighting quick feet while either dribbling or making runs behind the opposition.
The current swap deal that stands between both the clubs seems to be a high-risk project for both the parties. For Barcelona, Quique Setien would not require the services of another 30-year-old midfielder in his already aged squad that includes Ivan Rakitic, Arturo Vidal, Luis Suarez, Gerad Pique, Lionel Messi, and Jordi Alba. However, letting Ousmane Dembele leave would be an economic relief since the player has missed over 50+ matches due to injuries while earning a heft salary every week.
At Juventus, the loss of Miralem Pjanic would leave a massive void in the middle of the park, and apart from Rodrigo Bentacur who may fill in the void given his admirable performances this season, the club lacks options to replace their midfielder. The arrival of Ousmane Dembele to Turin would either be a flop or a grand signing since the French forward is highly inconsistent due to his series of long-term injuries.
If the former Dortmund man manages to stay injury-free at Juventus, then the current Serie A leaders would have one of the most dangerous attacking lineups including Cristiano Ronaldo and Ousmane Dembele.
So far there have been no reports on whether the deal would be a straight swap or a swap deal including a transfer fee as well. If a transfer fee is involved by either of the parties, both the clubs would have to reconsider the risky operation they plan on entering.
Would you want to see Ousmane Dembele leave Barcelona for Juventus in exchange for Miralem Pjanic despite already having Frenkie de Jong and Sergio Busquets?