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Barcelona midfielder Arthur has reportedly refused to return to the Catalans from his home in Brazil. The 23-year-old was recently sold to Juventus for a fee of €72m, and is said to be disheartened with the coach. He has faced a lack of minutes ever since his move was announced.
Arthur's intention to stay at Barcelona despite Juventus' interest in him during the Miralem Pjanic negotiations was well-documented. He was clear on his future and was adamant on staying at the Nou Camp. Arthur was ultimately pushed towards the exit door and is now set to move to Turin, with Juventus midfielder Pjanic going the other way for a reported €62m.
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Many Barcelona players flew down to Ibiza for their post-season vacations, albeit only for a short while as the UEFA Champions League is just around the corner. As things stand, though, the Blaugrana could be a man short in the middle of the park as Arthur did not return to their training base.
Juventus's new recruit Arthur refuses to play for Barcelona
As per widespread reports in Spain and Brazil, the ex-Gremio man wants to disassociate himself entirely from Barcelona earlier than initially agreed upon. Arthur was set to play a part in the Catalans' UCL run before moving to Turin, much like Pjanic, who is set to see off his European commitments with Juventus.
However, reports have now claimed that Arthur is keen on ending his stay at the Nou Camp right away. He did not show up for Barcelona's mandatory Coronavirus testing on Monday, choosing to remain in Brazil. The senior squad members were expected to show up for the tests ahead of their return to training for the UCL on Tuesday.
Since his controversial move to Juventus was announced, Arthur failed to get a look in for Barcelona's XI, and has been completely frozen out by Quique Setien. The midfielder hoped to end his career at the Nou Camp on a positive note, but was not selected to play for any of his last six games at the club.
When asked about why Arthur wasn't called upon, Setien revealed that he was suffering from an ankle issue. However, there was no mention of any such problem in Barcelona's injury updates, which they usually deliver ahead of matchdays.
This was another clear indication that Arthur was intentionally being frozen out of the side, much to the new Juventus midfielder's disappointment.
The relationship between the club and player is at an all-time low, and all the parties involved are working on a logical solution to deal with the matter. However, Barcelona are also reportedly considering taking legal action against him on the basis of breaching his contract should things get out of hand.
Irrespective of the end result, one thing is for sure — Arthur's Barcelona adventure is well and truly over, regardless of his upcoming European commitments.
