Well done Valverde – This £26.3m deadline day arrival would be a perfect Iniesta replacement in the future

Gremio star Arthur – Is he good enough to succeed at Barcelona?

Barcelona are reportedly closing in on their long-term target Arthur Melo, who currently plays as a midfielder for Gremio. A deal of £26.3m is understood to be on the table and the report also claims that the 21-year-old midfielder would be loaned back to the Brazilian club. The talented youngster has been targetted by quite a few top clubs across Europe this January but the Catalan giants are believed to be in pole position to land him before deadline day.

Arthur has been a part of Gremio since he was 14 and at 21 now, he might find it tough to say no to a club like Barcelona. He certainly has enough experience so far. Having essayed a key role for his club this season, Arthur has also appeared at the U17 and U20 levels for Brazil. In fact, he is known to have played quite a hand at helping Gremio pick up the 2017 Copa Libertadores, following which he was named as Campeonato Brasileiro Serie A’s best newcomer.

He is certainly skilled enough to play for Barcelona and is rightfully touted as one of the most exciting young Brazilian talents. However, it is highly unlikely for Ernesto Valverde to immediately include him in the first-team.

A defensive midfielder by trade, Arthur seems more like a long-term investment and it will be a while before he can adjust to life at the Camp Nou. However, he boasts of tremendous potential and to that end, it makes sense for the Spanish giants to snap him up ahead of their competitors, Real Madrid and Paris Saint-Germain.

At present, the Barcelona midfield is being dominated by Paulinho and Andres Iniesta. Ever since Philippe Coutinho joined the club, they have utilised a 4-4-2 formation with Paulinho and Iniesta playing in as deeper midfielders. Given the sheer brilliance of Arthur’s fellow countryman and Iniesta’s experience, there seems to be very little evidence to suggest that Valverde would disrupt the algorithm by providing game time to Arthur.

However, Iniesta cannot go on for a long time and soon enough, there will be scope for the youngster to break into the first-team and make a name for himself. Until then though, he can continue to garner more experience and develop his skills. Hence, this deal seems like a really good one for Arthur and given his potential, Barcelona would surely benefit in the near future.

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