Barcelona send Arthur to Juventus for €72M, Pjanic goes other way for €60M

One of the most expensive swap deals of all time is now complete.

Barcelona agreed to sell Brazilian midfielder Arthur Melo to Juventus for €72 million plus a potential €10 million in add-ons, the Spanish side announced Monday.

Juventus also reached an agreement to send Miralem Pjanic to the Camp Nou for €60 million and a potential €5 million in bonuses.

The players will complete the 2019-20 season with their current teams and could face each other in the Champions League’s one-off knockout stage in Lisbon later this summer.

Arthur signed a five-year contract with the reigning Serie A champions, while Pjanic put pen to paper on a four-year deal. The Blaugrana also inserted a €400-million release clause in the Bosnian international’s contract.

It’s widely believed the two sides swapped midfielders for financial reasons. Each team will now report an accounting profit for the fiscal year ending June 30 and therefore stay within UEFA’s Financial Fair Play guidelines.

Barcelona reportedly needed a cash injection of €70 million before June 30 to avoid catastrophic losses caused in part by the coronavirus pandemic.

The reigning La Liga champions will record Arthur’s sale in full and lessen the hit of Pjanic’s fee by dividing it over the length of his contract. Juventus will do the same with the proceeds from Pjanic’s sale and Arthur’s fee.

Barcelona used a similar tactic last year to boosts its financial records, swapping goalkeepers with Valencia for around €30 million each.

Arthur initially wanted to stay at Barcelona but the club pressured him to accept a transfer, according to ESPN’s Sam Marsden and Moises Llorens. He’ll reportedly earn a significant wage increase at Juventus and, at 23 years old, will rejuvenate Maurizio Sarri’s midfield.

The Brazilian joined Barcelona from Gremio in July 2018 for €31 million. Pjanic, meanwhile, moved to Juventus from Roma in July 2016 for €32 million.