Barca to keep Arthur

Barcelona want to keep Arthur Melo at the club past this summer, according to Marca.

The versatile midfielder has dropped down the pecking order over course of the season following the arrival of Frenkie de Jong from Ajax last summer, and there were reports suggesting that the La Liga champions might allow him to move on in search of a regular starting spot. Indeed, there have even been suggestions that his services might be offered to Inter Milan as a make-weight in Barcelona’s attempt to bring in Lautaro Martinez.

But though the Catalan giants have long been linked with the Argentine striker as they seek for a long-term successor to Luis Suarez, and though the impact of the currently ongoing Coronavirus crisis might make swap deals more frequent than before, Barcelona apparently aren’t interested in any such business when it comes to Arthur. They believe he is progressing and adapting to Quique Setien’s tactical ideas well.