Barcelona are ahead of Chelsea in the transfer chase for Gremio central midfielder Arthur.
The 21-year-old midfielder has come to the attention of a number of European clubs after helping Gremio win this year’s Copa Libertadores and has been tipped for a big move.
Chelsea are believed to be closely following his performances in South American football and are said to be keen to take the Brazilian midfielder to Stamford Bridge in the near future.
However, it has been claimed Chelsea are trailing behind Barcelona in the transfer pursuit and according to Catalan daily Sport, Arthur wants to join the Catalan giants.
The Blaugrana have an agreement in place with the midfielder and Arthur is waiting for Barcelona to make the final move for him and get a deal over the line with Gremio.
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The 21-year-old has a €50m release clause in his contract, but the Catalan giants are hopeful of reaching an agreement with Gremio for a fee around the €30m mark.
A move for Arthur is expected to depend on the outcome of Barcelona’s pursuit of Philippe Coutinho in January, but the Catalan giants could also choose to sign the Gremio man next summer.
He has a contract until 2019 with the Brazilian outfit.
