Brazilian youngster Arthur and Barcelona reach agreement
Robert Fernández has been in Brazil to finalise the operation to bring the young Gremio star to LaLiga and, as things took shape, the price and start date were confirmed.
Emissaries of Barcelona and the Gremio de Porto Alegre met on Monday in Brazil to complete the transfer of Arthur to Barcelona. Brazilian media have confirmed that both parties have given their agreement to the deal and that the purchase of the youngster will go through within hours.
Big money for a potential king Arthur
The final deal will see the transfer of the hot prospect for 40 million euros with Arthur making the move to the Spanish giants in January 2019.
On Sunday there was a meeting between Barcelona's Robert Fernandez and Jorge Machado, the player's representative. On Monday, Barcelona and Gremio put the finishing touches to the deal valuing the Brazilian at 40 million euros, with 60% of this amount going to the Tricolor, the equivalent of 24 million euros. The rest is for entrepreneur Celso Rigo, who holds 20% of the player's rights. Now the only areas to be negotiated are the paperwork between the clubs, the medical examination and then the i's dotted and t's crossed along with the key signatures.
A year to wait for Barça fans
Barcelona fans will, however, have to wait until January 2019 to be able to see Arthur on the pitch in the bluagrana colours. The 21-year-old midfielder is seen as one of the pearls of Brazilian football, much like Real Madrid's signing of Vinicius Jr, and he will offer Ernesto Valverde with further creative options as he builds for the future. With Coutinho and Dembélé arriving for big money deals in the past months, a player that has been compared to Xavi Hernández will be a welcome addition to the fold.
