Gremio's Arthur could travel to Barcelona this weekend
Lawyers are currently helping to finalise the details of the transfer
Gremio are waiting for the payment for Arthur Melo to finalise the midfielder's move to Barcelona. The two clubs reached an agreement two weeks ago to bring the deal forward and are tying up the final details this week. Save any setbacks, the player will travel to Barcelona this weekend.
Barça and Gremio confirmed an agreement on March 11 for the Catalan club to have first refusal on Arthur. That agreement allowed the La Liga champions to execute their right to sign the Brazilian for an intitial 30 million euros on July 15 -- ahead of a January move.
However, Barcelona's plans have changed and they want the player now. An agreement has been reached for Barça to pay a bit more to do the deal this summer and lawyers on both sides are currently going through the final details.
Arthur, meanwhile, is keen to move to Barcelona early. He could arrive in time to begin preseason with Ernesto Valverde's side on July 11 and would then be avaialble for the tour of the United States, which begins on July 24 in Portland, Oregon.
It's not clear how much Barça have had to pay to bring the deal forward. Some sources suggest three million euros, but the clubs should clarify things when the deal is complete, freeing Arthur up to sign a four-year contract at Camp Nou, until 2021-22.
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