Arsenal to make shock move for Barcelona star-Reports

Arsenal are reportedly interested in signing Barcelona outcast Miralem Pjanic this summer. The Bosnian has become surplus to requirements at Camp Nou and is believed to be desperate to leave the club.

According to Sport, Arsenal are leading the race to sign Pjanic in this transfer window. The Gunners are rumored to be in contact with the midfielder's agent. Reports suggest that Pjanic could join Arsenal on a season-long loan and Barcelona will cover all of the 31-year-old's wages.

Pjanic joined Barcelona from Juventus last summer as part of a mammoth swap deal that saw Arthur Melo go the other way. He signed a four-year deal with the Spanish giants.

Pjanic's signing was one that excited Barcelona fans as the midfielder won four consecutive Scudettos during his time with Juventus. He was also named to the Serie A Team of the Year for four consecutive years between 2015 and 2019.

The 31-year-old's vision, passing ability, creativity and set pieces made him an excellent midfield option for the Blaugrana. Pjanic, however, struggled to nail down a place in Ronald Koeman's starting line-up.

Injuries and a lack of faith from the manager led to the Bosnian making just six starts in La Liga for Barcelona last season. The former Juventus star fell behind the likes of Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong and Pedri in the pecking order. The Catalans are now desperate to cut ties with the midfielder in order to reduce their wage bill.

Arsenal are keen to provide Pjanic with an escape route from Barcelona. Mikel Arteta has made the signing of a midfielder the club's top priority this summer.

The Gunners will look to sign a ball-playing midfielder to partner Thomas Partey at the center of the park next season. The Gunners could face stiff competition, however, from Chelsea and Juventus for Pjanic's signature.

🚨 Arsenal have joined Tottenham in the race to sign Miralem Pjanic 🇧🇦 on loan from Barcelona. #Pjanic #AFC#THFC #FCBarcelona(@Sport_Witness 🌗via @TheSpursExpress ) pic.twitter.com/2uTE2t1Hnk

— Football Transfers (@Transferzone00) July 7, 2021

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Barcelona midfielder Miralem Pjanic is believed to prefer a return to Juventus over a move to Arsenal or Chelsea

Pjanic (centre) in action against Juventus

Miralem Pjanic played some of his best football at Juventus under the management of Massimiliano Allegri. The midfielder was a favorite of the Italian manager during their three years together in Turin.

Barcelona are to let Umtiti and Pjanic leave for free to lower and fix their wage bill...They may also do the same with other important players so they can renew Messi's contract.[Mundo Deportivo] pic.twitter.com/aav7r8vrdn

— Footy Accumulators (@FootyAccums) July 4, 2021

Juventus are eager to sign a top-quality midfielder this summer but will need to part ways with the likes of Aaron Ramsey and Adrien Rabiot before they can make a move for Miralem Pjanic.

The 31-year-old reportedly favors a return to Juventus over a move to the Premier League with either Arsenal or Chelsea. Pjanic's final decision could be influenced by the return of Allegri to the Bianconeri for the 2021-22 season.