BARCELONA are reportedly instructing their lawyers to take legal action against AWOL midfielder Arthur Melo.
The Brazilian’s two-year spell in Spain is coming to an end after he was sold to Juventus.
Arthur Melo is thought to be in Brazil having grown angry with the club’s attempts to sell himCredit: Getty – Contributor
However, the deal does not go through until the end of the season – with Miralem Pjanic heading the other way in the £70million swap.
Reportedly unhappy at being forced out of the club, Arthur has refused to return to training ahead of next month’s Champions League campaign.
Following the culmination of the LaLiga season, the 23-year-old went on holiday to Ibiza before an under-the-radar trip to Brazil.
Barcelona’s attempts to locate the player ended in him vowing to never appear for the team again.
And he did not show up for either Monday’s coronavirus test or the resumption of training on Tuesday.
According to Marca, that has prompted the Blaugrana to take disciplinary action.
Barcelona star Arthur ‘pulls a Gareth Bale’ as he yawns and looks bored on bench during Osasuna loss
Arthur is said to want his contract terminated to allow him an early switch to Juventus, with the deal officially going through in September.
That is not an option for Barcelona, even though the midfielder would not be eligible for the Italian team until next season, and the club is described as angry that the matter could not be discussed amicably.
Quique Setien’s side face Napoli for the second leg of their last-16 tie on August 8, with the aggregate score at 1-1, and the winner will progress to the Champions League mini-tournament in Portugal.
Arthur did not appear in any of Barcelona’s last six LaLiga games as they failed to defend their title against Real Madrid – even appearing to fall asleep in the stands during a defeat to Osasuna.
Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
