Juventus are close to agreeing a consensual termination of Arthur Melo’s contract, according to SportMediaset.
The outlet reports that Juventus and the Brazilian midfielder are negotiating a resolution after his six years in Turin. The club is finalising the agreement to reduce its wage bill.
Arthur arrived from Barcelona in the summer of 2020 for €72 million plus up to €10 million in bonuses, as part of the swap deal that sent Miralem Pjanic to Camp Nou. Juventus has since accumulated about €65 million in amortisation for the Brazilian on its accounts.
Juventus extended Arthur’s original contract until 2027 to spread the remaining annual amortisation charge and avoid substantial capital losses before a sale or release. SportMediaset puts the club’s overall cost for the player at more than €100 million, including the transfer fee and gross wages paid.
Arthur made 63 appearances for Juventus, which equates to a cost of more than €1.5 million per appearance based on that overall figure.
The wage impact was partly mitigated by tax-relief measures in his early years and by loan spells at Liverpool, Fiorentina and Girona, with the host clubs covering portions of his salary. SportMediaset reports that Arthur’s initial salary was about €12 million gross per season during his first three years in Turin.
He subsequently accepted revised terms to facilitate the loans and reduce the burden on Juventus. The outlet estimates that gross wages remaining payable by Juventus from 2020 onward totalled about €32 million to €35 million, in addition to the transfer cost.
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