Barcelona have stepped up their interest in Gremio central midfielder Arthur, Goal understands.
Robert Fernandez, the club’s technical director, watched the 21-year-old during their 1-0 victory over Lanus in the first leg of the Copa Libertadores final last week and sought to delve deeper into the personality and background of the player.
Arthur was recently called up to the national squad and has been watched by Barcelona since the beginning of the European season. However, he recently renewed his contract in Brazil and is committed to Gremio until 2021, with a release cause of around €50 million.
His club expect offers from European sides in January and it is expected that a fee of around €15-20m would be sufficient to prise him away.
Arthur has been an integral part of Gremio’s challenge both at home and abroad this season, having played 38 matches for them this term, scoring one goal and providing one further assist.
Barca are also monitoring the progress of Yerry Mina, the Palmeiras defender, and he could be another winter target for the Catalan side.
