An €80 million millstone: Why are Juventus humiliating Arthur Melo?

Juventus have offered no official explanation so far. That only deepens the mystery over how they have handled defensive midfielder Arthur Melo in recent years.

Back in 2020, the Old Lady paid a hefty €80.6 million to prise the Brazilian away from Barcelona and bring him to Turin. Only four players in the club's long history have cost Juve more. At Barca, Melo still ranks as their second most expensive sale ever behind Neymar.

At the same time, Miralem Pjanic went the other way to Catalonia. For both clubs, this was a deal designed to embellish their annual financial statements through high income in the business year. The financial police later looked into it, but the Italian judiciary ultimately found no evidence of irregularities.

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Arthur Melo have not played a game for Juventus for more than four years

Melo has now gone more than four years without playing a single game for Juventus. His last appearance came in the Coppa Italia final on 11 May 2022 (4-2 after extra time), when he came on after 84 minutes. Since then, the Italians have sent him out on loan four times and extended his contract several times in a bid to reduce the amortisation costs on the balance sheet as much as possible and make him more attractive on the transfer market.

Now 30, under contract until 2027 and on a reported annual net salary of €5 million, Melo is back again. Once more, both parties are trying to find a final solution so they can part ways. With two weeks left before the end of the transfer window, that looks extremely doubtful.

Most recently, several international media outlets reported in unison that Melo sits right at the top of new coach Vincenzo Italiano's wishlist at Besiktas. The pair already worked together at Fiorentina in the 2023/24 season.

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Juventus have already loaned Arthur Melo out to four clubs

Fiorentina were Melo's second loan destination. Before that, he spent a year at Liverpool under Jürgen Klopp, though mainly because of injury he managed only 13 minutes in a single match. After Florence, he moved to Girona, and most recently Melo played for his youth club Gremio Porto Alegre. He came through there between 2010 and 2018 before Barcelona signed him for €31 million.

Juve's problem is simple: all four clubs declined to trigger the purchase option for the midfielder. Most recently, everything had actually been prepared with Gremio. Melo definitely wanted to stay there, as he told Brazil's biggest sports portal Ge Globo in mid-March: "If Juventus are willing to negotiate, then of course everyone knows that I want to stay. I've said it several times already: it is my home."

Turin were willing to negotiate, but once again no agreement was reached. Gremio stated unequivocally that despite the interest of "both parties in continuing the partnership", no common financial ground was found. Rumour has it Juve demanded €8 million to €10 million.

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Arthur Melo at Barcelona: praise from Lionel Messi

That makes it hard to understand why the Old Lady allowed the deal to collapse. Getting Melo off the books and out of the squad has been the aim for years. Instead, they are keeping the prototype of a transfer flop because of a gap of a few million, even though he has no future there and they have already invested almost €140 million in new signings this summer.

For the 22-cap international, who last played for the Selecao at the end of March 2022, this is another low point in his career for now. Yet his time in Europe had started so promisingly.

Barca's former playmaker Xavi said after the end of his career that Melo reminded him of himself. Lionel Messi praised him too. Melo did produce strong performances early on in Spain, but they became increasingly rare. Injuries piled up. So did rumours about an unprofessional private life. He is said not to have been averse to the parties organised by Neymar in particular.

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Arthur Melo was injured for a long time at Liverpool

Even then, Melo did not want to leave Barca when the questionable swap deal with Pjanic came about. In Turin, he never really got going and, because of numerous niggles, he was nowhere near becoming a regular starter.

Two years later, with Melo 26, Liverpool responded to the absences of Thiago and Alex Oxlade-Chamberlain by signing him shortly before the transfer deadline for a loan fee of €4.5 million despite his lack of fitness. The purchase option stood at €37.5 million. A thigh injury quickly followed, along with surgery. Melo was out for almost five months.

When he returned, he was full of drive. "I am looking forward to showing this new version of Arthur," he said in an interview with GOAL in May 2023. "I am excited about the future. This season I suffered, I had some difficult moments, but that gave me the tools for next season."

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Arthur Melo: stable in Florence, only 150 days at Girona

Florence was where things finally picked up again. Melo stayed fit and racked up 48 matches (32 starts). Even so, the Viola passed up the chance to sign him for €20 million.

Then it went downhill again. Juve could not find a taker for Melo in the summer transfer window, and after months without match practice Girona struck in winter. Melo stayed 150 days and made 15 appearances, two thirds of them from the start.

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What are Juventus planning with Arthur Melo?

Most recently at Gremio, he was consistently convincing again. Melo started 17 of 23 matches and wore the captain's armband on several occasions. Gremio won the Rio Grande do Sul state championship. Quite a few even called for him to be named in the World Cup squad for the national team with whom he won the Copa America in 2019.

His career path has long since come to read like an epic misunderstanding shaped by huge expectations, a great deal of bad luck with injuries and balance-sheet tactics. Above all, the question remains what Juventus actually still want to achieve with him. This chapter has become a prime example of failed squad and financial planning. The fact Juve would still rather keep him on the wage bill than make economic concessions really tops it all off.

Arthur Melo: his professional career at a glance