Barcelona want to push through midfielder transfer deal, issue ultimatum over wages

Barcelona’s need to slash the club’s wage bill has seen them issue an ultimatum to midfielder Miralem Pjanic. The Catalan club are keen to offload the midfielder at the earliest in order to help them register the contract of Lionel Messi and other new signings.

The Bosnian midfielder joined Barcelona last summer from Juventus in a deal that saw Brazilian Arthur Melo move in the opposite direction. Pjanic failed to impress in his debut La Liga campaign, providing no goals nor assists in his 30 appearances in all competitions.

According to Spanish publication Sport, Barcelona have received loan offers from three Italian clubs, Inter Milan, Juventus and AS Roma, but Pjanic will have to take a significant wage cut to ensure the deal goes through. While the former Juventus midfielder is open to leaving the Camp Nou this summer, he has not yet agreed to accept a lower salary to what he is currently earning.

The La Liga giants are keen to push through with the deal as they are desperate to get players off the wage bill. They have reportedly issued an ultimatum to the player and are ready to take action if he continues his stand against lowering his salary demands.

Apart from clubs in Italy, Pjanic has also attracted interest from clubs in the Premier League. Arsenal, Tottenham Hotspur and Chelsea have all made inquiries but the player is said to only want a return to Italy if he leaves Barcelona this summer, with former employers Juventus being his first preference over any other club,

Barcelona are keen to get the deal done by next week at the latest, and are hoping they can convince the player to lower his demands and accept a move. Pjanic returned to pre-season duty with the Catalan outfit last week and will continue to train with the first-team until his future is sorted out.

Bosnian midfielder Miralem Pjanic arrives at Juventus’ Continassa training ground in Turin Marco BERTORELLO/AFP

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