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FC Barcelona continues its quest to secure the services of Juventus star Miralem Pjanic and has come up with a sensational deal. According to SPORT, Barcelona is willing to part with Portuguese right-back Nelson Semedo to bring the Bosnian international to Catalunya.
The transfer news mill has been rife with rumors of Barcelona's multiple attempts to lure Pjanic to the club.
Juventus was initially interested in including Brazilian midfielder Arthur in the deal. However, the Bianconeri have agreed player plus cash deal to sign Nelson Semedo, with Miralem Pjanic and Mattia de Sciglio going in the opposite direction. Barcelona will also receive a transfer fee of €25 million, making it one of the most elaborate swap deals in recent times.
Barcelona's agreement with Juventus means that Arthur could stay
The new deal that Barcelona has agreed with Juventus is certainly good news for Arthur. The Brazilian international has publicly expressed his desire to stay with FC Barcelona.
While the arrival of a talented and experienced Miralem Pjanic provides plenty of competition for places, Arthur will remain positive that his wish to remain in Barcelona has been granted for the time being.
Mattia Di Sciglio is a surprise inclusion in Barcelona's agreement with Juventus. The Italian defender could be seen as a solution to Barcelona's recent right-back problems. Di Sciglio was never able to cement his place at Juventus and a move to Catalunya could benefit both parties.
The deal also means that Barcelona has only sprinkled salt on its problem of plenty in midfield. The likes of Sergio Busquets and Frenkie de Jong are likely to retain their places in the squad.
The former brings a wealth of experience to the side and the latter has regularly been touted as the future of Barcelona's midfield.
The futures of Ivan Rakitic and Arturo Vidal, however, remain uncertain. Rakitic, like Arthur, has been very public about the fact that he would like an extended stay in Barcelona.
The Croatian midfielder will face increased competition with the presence of both Pjanic and Arthur in Barcelona's squad, and it may just be a matter of time before the house of cards collapses.
The likes of Frenkie de Jong and Arthur, however, might relish playing alongside Miralem Pjanic. Like Barcelona's dynamic midfield duo, Pjanic possesses the rare ability to combine defense and attack and is one of the most complete midfielders in the world.
Barcelona has historically been known for technically astute midfield trios and this signing could well be the initiation of yet another glorious phase.
While Pjanic continues to bag the headlines and rightly so, Mattia Di Sciglio's transfer might prove to be a shrewd piece of business for FC Barcelona.
The Catalans have a well-documented problem in defense and the Italian defender might solve a few problems for Quique Setien.
While Barcelona fans might revel at the prospect of the Arthur-de Jong-Pjanic combination, it must be acknowledged that this only spells trouble for the likes of Carles Alena and Riqui Puig.
Barcelona has been increasingly turning its back on homegrown talent in the past few seasons and this transfer deal might be the final nail in the coffin.
