Barcelona ready to give another star the De Jong treatment
FT Desk
- Updated: 1 Aug 2022 22:33 BST
- 3 min read
The summer transfer window continues to run at a furious pace at Barcelona, with yet more activity emanating from Camp Nou in an already extremely busy pre-season.
Barca have been active in the market both at buyers and sellers so far.
And they are now looking to raise further funds with the sale of midfielder Miralem Pjanic, who has been only a peripheral presence at the club since his arrival from Juventus.
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Pjanic spent last season on loan at Besiktas and in total has made just 30 first-team appearances for the Catalans in the last two years.
Per Sport, Juventus have now emerged as a possible destination for the Bosnia international, after originally selling him to Barca as part of the deal which took Arthur to Turin.
The Old Lady's Serie A rivals Napoli and Lazio have also been linked to his services, while Pjanic is additionally said to have received a mouthwatering offer from Saudi Arabia.
Barcelona would certainly not be upset to see Pjanic's sizeable wages off their books after the exercising of several economic levers bought the club some breathing space in the transfer market this summer, at the expense of further lost income down the line.
Pjanic unmoved
But one significant obstacle, as occurred during Barca's efforts to sell Frenkie de Jong, is the player himself, who is not convinced at all over the benefits of a move away.
Pjanic has shrugged off a mediocre year in Turkey to get back to his best in this pre-season period.
The 32-year-old has been in fine form for Barca during their preparations and believes that coach Xavi's style of play will suit him perfectly if he is given the chance to shine.
Whether he does stay may well depend on the midfielder's willingness to lower his salary, which is currently beyond the caps imposed by Barca in their cost-cutting efforts.
The coming week should yield a final decision, but Pjanic in any case believes he can prove himself at Barca and is determined to stay and fight for his place.
