By Oyinlola Awonuga (The New Diplomat’s Entertainment, Fashion and Sports Desk)
Barcelona FC has announced the signing of the Bosnian star, Miralem Pjanic from Juventus on a deal worth €65 million (£59 million/$73 million).
The four-year deal includes a release clause of €400 million (£366 million/$449 million).
The confirmation comes shortly after Barcelona announced that fellow midfielder Arthur would be heading the other way, joining Juventus in a deal worth €72 million (£66m/$81m) plus up to €10m in bonuses.
Both Barcelona and Juventus have been locked in discussions for a swap deal for several weeks, with Arthur initially not keen on a move to Turin.
The midfielder will remain at Juventus for the rest of the campaign, however, with the Bosnian continuing through the club’s Serie A and Champions League campaigns.
During his time with Juve, Pjanic lifted three Serie A titles, with the club favored to claim a fourth this season as he prepares for his Barcelona departure.
In addition, Pjanic has won two Coppas Italia and one Suppercoppa Italia since moving to Turin.
He made a total of 171 appearances for Juventus, scoring 22 goals across all competitions for the Italian side.
Prior to his time in Turin, Pjanic blossomed into one of the world’s best midfielders at Roma, earning the first of his four selections to the Serie A Team of the Season.
He spent five seasons in Rome, having also featured for Lyon and Metz earlier in his career.
Barcelona currently sits second in La Liga, two points behind league-leaders Real Madrid through 32 matches.
Juve, meanwhile, maintains a four-point lead over Lazio in Serie A ahead of Wednesday’s clash with Genoa.
