Arsenal are emerging as surprise favourites to land Miralem Pjanic amid claims he could be allowed to leave Barcelona for ‘nothing’ this summer.
Pjanic made the transfer from Juventus to the Spanish giants last summer. He did so in a swap deal with Arthur Melo and it’s safe to say it’s a move that has not worked out for the Bosnian. Indeed, Pjanic made only six La Liga starts as Barca finished third and he failed to win over Ronald Koeman.
As such, Pjanic has been strongly linked with a transfer away ahead of the 2021/22 season.
Chelsea reportedly have transfer interest in the 31-year-old. Meanwhile, more recent reports claimed that Manchester United have made a bid for him.
It’s Tottenham though who have had the strongest links because of Fabio Paratici’s connection with Pjanic. The ex-Juve chief had ties to the player while in Turin.
However, Sport now claims it is Arsenal who are leading the chase. The Spanish outlet reports that the Gunners have already been in contact with his agent to push through the deal.
They report the Gunners have told Barcelona they will cover all of the Bosnian’s wages if they allow him to move on a year’s loan and waive a fee.
And it’s stated Barca are ready to accept any formula to cut ties with Pjanic. They are in desperate need to lower their salary budget. As such, Wednesday’s Paper Talk claims the issue has seen them try and push another star man towards Chelsea.
Arsenal are in the hunt for a new playmaker to fill the gap left by Martin Odegaard’s return to Real Madrid.
And while Pjanic may offer only a short-term solution, it’s one that Sport believes could suit all parties.
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Pjanic transfer preference named
While Sport believes Arsenal have a solid chance of landing the midfielder, they claim Pjanic’s first choice would be a return to Juventus.
He was a big favourite under Massimiliano Allegri before he stepped down in summer 2019.
And with Allegri back in the Juve dug-out, Pjanic reportedly wants to return to the Allianz Stadium.
However, Juventus are not currently in a position to make the move. They have an abundance of midfielders and need to offload the likes of Aaron Ramsey and possibly Adrien Rabiot first.
And while Pjanic’s agent is waiting to see as far as Juventus are concerned, time is not on their side. And with Barcelona desperate to offload, Sport reckons a transfer to the Premier League looks the likely outcome for the classy midfielder.
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