JUVENTUS have agreed a £72.5million deal to land Barcelona midfielder Arthur which could end their pursuit of Jorginho, according to reports.
The LaLiga giants are being forced to sell a number of their stars to balance the books and raise funds to land their targets this summer.
Juventus have agreed a deal with Barcelona to sign ArthurCredit: Getty – Contributor
Old Lady boss Maurizio Sarri has been in the market to land a new central midfielder when the transfer window opens.
Arthur has remained a key target for Sarri and sees him as an integral figure to centre around his footballing philosophy.
But Sky Sports Italy reveal how they will have a huge task in persuading Arthur to leave the Catalan side and continue his career in Serie A.
The 23-year-old has already told Barca chiefs that he would rather stay and fight for his place a the Nou Camp.
And Juve sporting chief Fabio Paritici has previously admitted the player still needs to be persuaded to make the move across Europe.
If Juventus do conclude a deal, it is likely to end their hopes of signing Chelsea’s Jorginho.
Sarri is a huge fan of the Italian having signed him as Napoli boss and during his time at Stamford Bridge.
Sarri’s chase of Jorginho could be overCredit: Alamy Live News
It was suggested that Juventus were willing to offer Miralem Pjanic as part of the deal to lure Chelsea into cashing in on the 28-year-old.
But Frank Lampard rebuffed any approach and Pjanic is now likely to head to Barcelona with the two clubs haggling over a deal.
Juve want £63.4m for the 30-year-old but Barcelona believe he is not worth just £9m less than Arthur.
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Source: Soccer - thesun.co.uk
