Barca face competition from Real Madrid in Arthur chase
Arthur Melo is known to be a serious target for La Liga frontrunnners Barcelona in January, but appears that the deal will not be as straightforward as the Catalan side had hoped...
Spanish publication 'Marca' claims that Barca's arch-rivals Real Madrid have emerged as contenders for the 21-year-old's signature.
It reports that the Gremio midfielder has been offered to 'Los Blancos' in recent days, potentially sparking an off-field 'Clásico' ahead of the opening of the January transfer window.
This is an interesting development considering that previous reports had suggested that it was only a matter of time before the playmaker became a Barcelona player, however, it appears that the Brazilian side are deeply angry with the player being pictured in a Barca shirt before any deal had been agreed with the Catalan club, leading to the Gremio hierarchy taking the decision to offer the player to Real.
'Marca' also claims that Zinedine Zidane's side are seriously considering making a move for the player, with their army of scouts giving the midfielder favourable reports.
This news is likely to come as a huge blow to Barca, who were thought to see the player as the long-term successor to Andres Iniesta in midfield.
More will become clear in the coming days and weeks but it appears that Real Madrid and Barcelona could be set to lock horns both on and off the pitch.