Barca agree deal with Arthur to arrive in January 2019 - report

Barcelona’s pursuit of Arthur appears to be back on with Mundo Deportivo reporting the club have agreed a deal with the player which will see him join the club in January 2019.

The club now have to agree the move with Gremio and have already offered €25 million but it looks like they will have to up that figure if they are to land their man.

There’s also the small matter of finding a place for Arthur in the squad, with Paulinho, Philippe Coutinho and Yerry Mina taking up the three non-EU spots.

Coutinho has already said he can obtain a Portuguese passport through his wife and the club are hoping that can be arranged in time for Arthur to arrive in January.

The report also notes how Arthur is viewed by Barca as player in the same ilk of Andres Iniesta and Xavi and will help inject some youth into the club’s midfield as Ivan Rakitic, Sergio Busquets and Paulinho will all turn 30 this year.

Source: barcablaugranes.com