Barcelona announce agreement for Brazilian midfielder

Barcelona have announced they have reached an agreement with Brazilian side Gremio for the signature of defensive midfielder Arthur.

Ernesto Valverde’s side have been chasing Arthur’s signature for months and had initially planned to sign the 21-year-old in January, but failed to get a deal over the line.

Barcelona have been locked in transfer talks with Gremio since then but reports emerged in midweek suggesting the deal was on the brink of collapse over a disagreement over fees.

However, the La Liga giants now have an option to sign Arthur in July 2018 in a deal worth €30m (£26.7m) plus €9m (£8m) in variables.

Manchester United were also interested in signing the former Brazil Under-20 international but Barcelona have now reaffirmed their position as the frontrunners for his signature.

No player recorded a better pass success rate in last season’s Brasileirao than Arthur (93.1%).