Making sense of the Barcelona and Miralem Pjanic speculation

Barcelona wants Miralem Pjanic; what they are giving Juventus for him is the topic of differing reports.

While Spanish outlet SPORT has said that Barcelona is close to getting Miralem Pjanic, Mattia de Sciglio and €25mill for Nelson Semedo, Italy has a differing report.

According to a report out of Italy, the only way Miralem Pjanic is going to Barcelona is if Juventus gets Arthur Melo in return. While the first rumour appears far more advantageous for Barcelona than the second, the first makes far less sense for Juventus as well.

While Maurizio Sarri wants greater vision and pace in the middle of his offence, Barcelona clearly believes Miralem Pjanic can offer them the consistency of a different sort as well. While Arthur is too valuable to lose, especially for a much older player like Pjanic, figuring out a solution in acquiring him could help the Blaugrana’s consistency.

Barcelona: Ulterior motivations

One of the main reasons why Miralem Pjanic is wanted by Barcelona is likely because Ivan Rakitic is nearing the end of his stay at the Camp Nou. Arturo Vidal likely won’t be at Barcelona much longer either; losing Arthur for Pjanic would be a losing proposition, but replacing Rakitic or Vidal with Pjanic is likely smart business.

Pjanic is still marvellous when given weapons; the arsenal at Barcelona is second to none throughout Europe to be sure. Getting Lionel Messi out of the playmaker role, so that he can conserve energy and dominate at different portions of the match, is crucial; Miralem Pjanic is likely thought as it relates to that innovation as well.

While Barcelona will still need a player like Miralem Pjanic (or Neymar), they may not be able to get him exactly. Pjanic is wanted in England by Chelsea, and across Europe by other outfits; where will he end up, and what is left for Barcelona to do?

Miralem Pjanic and Barcelona: Summer Decisions

While I would love to go into a long explanation as per why Miralem Pjanic will go to another club, I see Chelsea or Manchester United as making lots of sense. For all parties included, either makes sense; Juventus gets Jorginho or Paul Pogba for Maurizio Sarri; meanwhile, Frank Lampard gets the experience he wants around his young team. Ole Gunnar Solskjaer would gain similar benefits from the move; Chelsea appears most likely.

While Jorginho is the key that Sarri uses to unlock his offensive scheme, Frank Lampard has remarkable talent at Chelsea. It is a young talent to be sure; a player like Miralem Pjanic could be the key that unlocks many of their talents further as well. While both teams have players the other would like, neither is overvalued in comparison to the other; this is surely the opposite of the Pjanic-Arthur swap proposal.

For Barcelona meanwhile, adding to the depth at midfield may not be completely necessary. While Barcelona likes to have lots of veterans in the rotation, they are not poor in talent or depth to be certain.

Ansu Fati should be used sooner than later; he can help Lionel Messi even at his young age. meanwhile, Arthur needs to play more if he is to get a better feel for playing in La Liga, as well as with Messi.

When Barcelona signed Arthur, it was a coup; another future Brazilian starter in the middle of the field is good news for no one else in Europe. But it has been difficult for him so far; he has proclaimed that he intends to stay at the Camp Nou however.

He is not alone, however; Riqui Puig And Alex Collado are other youngsters who will demand time soon as well. While Frenkie de Jong is not being ignored, his presence as a holding payer with defensive ability is understood.

So while the rumours look mouthwatering for Barcelona fans, they appear highly improbable. This is likely a positive for both Juventus and Barcelona; both can find better solutions to their current issues than the reported deals.