Barcelona confirm €60m capture of Pjanic in wake of Arthur deal

Barcelona have confirmed the signing of Miralem Pjanic from Juventus on a deal that could rise to be worth €65 million (£59 million/$73 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.

However, the Brazilian midfielder was eventually convinced, paving the way for Monday's announcement that the two sides had agreed to terms to swap the two midfielders.

Pjanic has signed a deal with Barcelona for the next four seasons, with that deal including a release clause of €400 million (£366 million/$449 million).

The midfielder will remain at Juventus for the rest of the campaign, however, with the Bosnian continuing on through the club's Serie A and Champions League campaigns.

Pjanic heads to La Liga after four seasons with Juventus, having joined the Serie A champions from Roma in 2016.

During his time with Juve, Pjanic was able to lift three Serie A titles, with the club favoured 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.

Pjanic has 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 sit second in La Liga, two points behind league-leaders Real Madrid through 32 matches.

Having settled for a draw against Celta Vigo in the club's last match, Barca will now look forward to a vital clash with Atletico Madrid on Tuesday.

Juve, meanwhile, maintain a four-point lead over Lazio in Serie A ahead of Wednesday's clash with Genoa.