Tottenham Hotspur have missed out on the signing of Arthur Melo with Juventus agreeing a £72 million deal to sign the Barcelona playmaker, according to Sky.
Mes que un club? Really?
It seems that the Kings of Catalonia have not only taken to ignoring the most feted academy system in world football, they are now actively trying to get rid of players been born with Barca blood coursing through their veins.
Arthur arrived at the Camp Nou from Gremio as the heir apparent to the legendary Xavi.
Three years on, the Brazil international has been reduced to an unwelcome pawn in a deal that was intended to see an ageing and out-of-sorts Miralem Pjanic end up in Spain.
And with Arthur on the verge of sealing a move to Turin, it seems only a matter of time before Pjanic, seven years his senior, goes in the other direction despite being in the midst of arguably the worst season of his career.
According to Sky, Juventus will pay a staggering £72 million to bring Arthur to Italy, with one of the most dynamic midfield maestros in the game expected to earn £85,000-a-week.
With such sums on offer, it always felt likely that Tottenham would miss out on a player who, in truth, is a far superior version of Harry Winks.
Mundo Deportivo reported in April that Jose Mourinho was keen on the idea of linking Arthur up with fellow south American Gio Lo Celso in north London.
But with Daniel Levy likely to keep the purse-strings tightly drawn with Tottenham’s coffers bled dry not only by that new stadium but also the ongoing global health crisis, Arthur always felt like a lustful pipe dream.
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