Earlier in March, Barcelona agreed a deal with Brazilian club Gremio to sign Arthur, either in the summer transfer window or in January 2019.
Andre Cury is a Barcelona representative who deals with the South American market and has been in Russia following the 2018 World Cup. According to Mundo Deportivo, Cury has now left the tournament to travel to Brazil to “officially close the signing” of the midfielder.
Ernesto Valverde starts his preseason preparation from July 11th. The former Athletic Club Bilbao manager wants Barcelona to complete the signing of Arthur so that he is available from the first day of preseason training.
Barcelona will have to pay the initialy agreed €30m plus a further €9m to bring Arthur to Camp Nou this summer. Cury’s trip to South America is to carry out a final negotiation with Gremio so that it can help the La Liga winners secure Arthur’s services.
Andrés Iniesta has already left the Spanish giants and 20-year-old Carles Aleñá suffered an injury that will keep him out of action for the majority of the first half of next season. This has forced the Blaugrana to bring a midfielder to the club this summer.
Gremio want the entire transfer fee to be paid so that they can allow Arthur to complete a move to Barcelona. Therefore, Cury has travelled to Brazil to close the transfer. The 21-year-old is now waiting for the ‘green light’ so he can ‘take the first flight to El Prat’ airport.
