Report: ‘Excellent’ £55m ace takes 20% pay cut to snub Tottenham, move likely now imminent

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Miralem Pjanic has agreed to take a 20% pay cut on his Barcelona wage to re-join Juventus a year after leaving the Serie A side, according to Sport, despite interest from Tottenham.

The Bosnian is one step away from returning on a year-long loan, that can be extended for a second season. Barcelona made offloading Pjanic a high-priority in their bid to reduce their wage bill and comply with La Liga regulations.

But Juventus could not simply match the wage Barcelona offered Pjanic when he joined for an initial £55m last summer. They required the 31-year-old to accept a 20% reduction to stay within Serie A and UEFA Financial Fair Play rules.

Barcelona handed Pjanic a £120,000-per-week contract last June, which Tottenham were ready to match. That’s according to TuttoMercatoWEB, who reported Spurs would have no issue paying the fee. Sport even noted Nuno Espirito Santo green-lit his arrival last month.

But Pjanic’s heart was set on re-joining Juventus, with Calciomercato reporting he told his agent to secure a route from Barcelona to Turin, and not via Tottenham. The Bianconeri are the only club he would leave Catalunya for, even if it means earning less, it seems.

Pjanic may have expediated his exit from Barcelona after the Camp Nou crowd jeered his presence during the Joan Gamper Trophy clash with Juventus on Sunday. He and teammate Samuel Umtiti felt the full brunt of the fans’ unrest after Lionel Messi’s exit.

Pjanic gives up £24k-p/w by snubbing Tottenham for Juventus return from Barcelona

Pjanic will give up £24k-p/w by snubbing a move to Tottenham to re-join Juventus, with his move likely now imminent, just a year after joining Barcelona. It is a fairly considerable sign of his commitment and how much he wants to be a Bianconeri player again.

Spurs Managing Director Fabio Paratici will now have to find an alternative to bolster Nuno’s midfield, if he wants additions. But missing out on Pjanic will see Tottenham miss out on a free-kick specialist, Juninho ranks among the best.  

“He has quality with free-kicks and today he has become one of the best,” Juninho told Tuttosport. “Now, Miralem is at the level of Cristiano Ronaldo, Messi, [Gareth] Bale: people who shoot in an excellent way.”