The Barcelona and Gremio de Porto Alegre have closed the transfer of Brazilian midfielder Arthur Melo, who will play the next six seasons with the Catalan team.
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The operation will cost the Catalan club 31 million euros plus an additional 9 in variables. Initially, Arthur, 21 years old, was not expected to join his new team until 2019; however, the new agreement includes his "immediate incorporation".
Arthur is the first signing for the 2018-19 season for the Catalan team, which could soon announce another signing, that of French center-back Clément Lenglet from Sevilla.
The addition of Arthur will allow Ernesto Valverde's team to have his services at the start of pre-season scheduled for July 11 in the United States.
The Brazilian, who will have a release clause of 400 million euros, comes to reinforce the midfield of a team after the departures of Andrés Iniesta and Paulinho Bezerra.
Arthur Melo, who will turn 22 on August 12, spent his professional career at Gremio de Porto Alegre, where he played from the 2015 season until last year, scoring fifty goals.
The Brazilian has also been called up to the Brazilian national teams at the U-15 and U-20 levels. He has also been called up to the senior national team on some occasions, but has not yet made his debut under coach Tite.