The Brazilian arrived in Turin in 2020 in a deal with Barcelona that also involved Pjanic, but for three years he has limited himself to the customary photos on the day of the team’s return to training. However, he still weighs heavily on the Bianconeri’s accounts…

In the last three seasons, the only images of him in a Juve shirt are those taken on the first day of training. A scene that will probably be repeated next Thursday, when Tudor’s team will meet at the Continassa to begin preparations for the new season. Among the smiling faces of the players parading through J-Medical for their routine medical examinations, every summer for the past three years, there has also been that of Arthur Melo, who, however, never wears the Juventus shirt. Some of the fans may have forgotten him, but certainly not the Bianconeri executives, who at every transfer window, summer or winter, have to deal with a player who is a prisoner of his contract and a monstrous valuation.

This is the heavy legacy of a different approach to negotiations and a period when Juve paid less attention to the accounts than it does today. It was the summer of 2020 when the Brazilian midfielder arrived in Turin from Barcelona in a golden exchange with Pjanic: his valuation was 72 million (plus 10 in bonuses), while the Bosnian’s was 60 (plus 5). The immediate effect was a capital gain of almost 42 million, but the Bianconeri are still paying for it in the long term. Maurizio Sarri liked Arthur, but he would not be sitting on the Juventus bench for long. With Pirlo and Allegri at the helm, the Brazilian soon found himself at the bottom of the pecking order (between blunders and injuries) and then trapped in the golden cage of his $8 million-a-season contract. In 2022, Liverpool tried to relaunch him, paying Juve €4.5 million for the former Barça player’s loan and his entire salary. However, the project failed due to an injury that kept Arthur out for four months, so in the summer of 2023, he returned to the Continassa. He renewed his contract for three years, reducing his salary to $5 million net, and then went out on loan again, this time to Fiorentina for $2 million with half his salary covered. At Fiorentina, history repeated itself: the Brazilian started strongly but then faded from the scene.

how much did arthur cost juve—  So, in July 2024, Arthur reappeared at the Continassa: the usual photos and then off to train separately with the surplus players. This time, however, the former Barça player was unable to find a suitable club before the end of the winter transfer window and remained out of the squad in Turin for over four months. In the end, he went to Girona, again on loan, for €700,000 with Juve contributing to his salary, renewing his contract until 2027 with a further reduction in wages. But even here, his performances were not enough to earn him a permanent transfer. So, on Thursday morning, Arthur will return to the Continassa, still looking for a new destination. With the weight of a contract worth just under €5 million gross that makes suitors blush and a balance sheet amortization of around €11 million, that’s right, because despite five years since his arrival in Turin, the former Barcelona player still weighs heavily on Juventus’ books. And if we want to be completely honest, between the purchase price (72 million) and gross salaries (just under 30), the Brazilian has ultimately cost Juve almost 100 million. That’s quite a lot for a player who, for three years, has limited himself to the customary photos on the first day of training…