Report: Barcelona Reaches Agreement to Sign Gremio Star Arthur for €40M
Barcelona have agreed a deal to sign Brazilian sensation Arthur from Gremio for a fee reported to be worth around €40m - with the player set to join in January 2019.
The club's technical director Robert Fernandez has been in Brazil since Saturday in attempts to get the deal over the line, per Mundo Deportivo, but a further report from Globo Esporte on Monday night has revealed that terms have now been agreed with both Gremio and the player himself. Medical examinations and other formalities have yet to be completed.
Of the fee, 60% will reportedly be paid to Gremio, with the remaining 40% split evenly between the player's parents and investor Celso Rigo.
Barcelona weren't the only team interested in signing Arthur, however, with Manchester United, as well as several other Premier League sides, also understood to have made the 21-year-old a target. The player, though, has already stated his intent to play for La Blaugrana - and he was even recently pictured wearing a Barcelona jersey in a photo.
The Spanish league leaders have tracked the 21-year-old for a number of months, and the news will come as a boost to the club ahead of their huge Champions League clash with Chelsea on Tuesday.
Arthur has been out of action since December with an injury to his left ankle, though is back in training and could return to Gremio's first team in the coming days.
