Barcelona's business activities during the last 18 months or more may be summarized as two steps ahead and one step back. Another bad financial decision drags everyone back to reality as soon as the Blaugrana are attempting to turn a turnaround.
A prime example of such business was the Arthur-Pjanic swap deal with Juventus. It was in the summer of 2018 when Gremio's Arthur joined Barcelona. Two years at Camp Nou yielded four goals and six assists for the 25-year-old, who left the Catalan club in the summer of 2020.
With that in mind, Barcelona traded him for Miralem Pjanic of Juventus. However, it's reasonable to say that neither the La Liga team nor the Serie A one got what they bargained for.
Arthur to return to Barcelona, Pjanic to make a Juventus comeback
The Bosnia captain has fallen out of favor with the Blaugrana and is set to be moved permanently this summer after spending the past season on loan. When it comes to starting for Turin's Bianconeri, Arthur has also battled to establish himself, struggling with a lack of consistent appearances.
It's hard to believe that the Brazilian midfielder has only started 24 of Juventus' 61 matches in his first two seasons. Last summer, the Serie A side bolstered their midfield options with Manuel Locatelli and Denis Zakaria. In addition, having reached an agreement with Paul Pogba, the former Manchester United star is expected to return to the club on a free transfer in the very near future as well.
As a result, the Catalan club are said to be contemplating re-signing former midfielder Arthur Melo, who would welcome a reunion. Catalan newspaper Sport claims that there is a chance that Arthur might return to Camp Nou on loan, and thus repair the terrible exchange agreement.
Barcelona paid €60 million for Pjanic plus €16 million in cash and incentives, totaling €82 million in value for Arthur. A rumor that the Brazilian ace has been offered back to Barca by Tuttomercatoweb and transfer analyst Reshad Rahman is spreading over the internet.
What does Xavi think of the idea?
In order to reduce the expense of the procedure and receive a ready-made replacement, Barca might present the Bosnian as part of the transaction, thereby canceling the initial trade. Pjanic has long been a favorite of Juventus manager Massimiliano Allegri, but new Barcelona manager Xavi has a soft spot for Arthur.
According to the source, the Spanish manager is open to the idea of allowing the Brazilian midfielder to return to Camp Nou, and the player himself is eager to do the same. According to rumors, Arthur is willing to take a pay cut in order to go back to Catalonia. The Catalan giants, on the other hand, have yet to decide whether they will take it seriously or explore other options.
