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What's the story?
Barcelona's move for Arthur Melo may collapse at the last moment, with Real Madrid all set to hijack the Blaugrana's move for the Gremio midfielder - according to a report in Spanish news outlet, SPORT. Florentino Perez has reportedly been in conversation with Gremio's directors and might even consider paying Arthur Melo's €50 million release clause - as the Los Blancos President is desperate to ensure that Barcelona are unable to sign the midfielder. Arthur is also reportedly fielding offers from multiple Premier League clubs, with Chelsea also interested.
Also Read: Reports: Chelsea and Barcelona in £44 million battle for Gremio's Arthur Melo in January
In case you didn't know...
After beginning his career with boyhood club Goias, Arthur moved to Gremio soon after, joining the Brazilian club at the age of 14 in 2010. He continued to impress in the junior side, before Luiz Felipe Scolari called him up to the first team and gave him his debut in 2015. Arthur has gradually grown more pivotal to Gremio, especially in their run to the Copa Libertadores title, which has meant the youngster is fielding offers from some of the biggest clubs in the world.
The heart of the matter
Arthur Melo was earlier pictured in a Barcelona kit that caused plenty of controversy, resulting in the La Liga giants apologizing to Gremio to avoid being investigated by FIFA.
Gremio director Andre Zanotta has poured more light on Arthur's future, saying "Arthur's release clause is €50 million euros. Gremio need to sell one player every year. There's interest from big, very big, clubs in Europe. Not only Real and Barcelona, but Germany, England... We don't need to hurry".
"I feel it would be difficult to keep Arthur longer than the summer of 2018."
Having been compared to Andres Iniesta and Thiago Alcantara, Arthur certainly is a player in Barcelona's mould, but Real Madrid could make it a moot point by simply triggering his release clause and getting one over their rivals yet again, much like they did with Alfredo di Stefano all those decades ago.
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Author's Take:
With Dani Ceballos, Marcos Llorente and Mateo Kovacic as their backup choices, Real Madrid don't exactly need Arthur Melo. However, this is a club that paid €45 million for Vinicius Jr. as a 'gamble' and they would surely not baulk at a €50 million price tag for a player with far more pedigree. Not to mention, Florentino Perez can then crow about pulling the rug out from under Barcelona as well. With Gremio and Real Madrid together in UAE, a deal might just take place.
