Barcelona agree option to sign Gremio midfielder Arthur

Barcelona have announced that an option has been agreed for the La Liga outfit to buy Brazilian midfielder Arthur from Gremio in the summer.

The 21-year-old helped the Porto Alegre club to the final of the Copa Libertadores and put in an impressive performance in the second leg as they ran out 3-1 aggregate winners over Lanus of Argentina.

Barca were subsequently linked with Arthur, and reports from Spain and Brazil claimed that the two clubs had been in discussions over a potential transfer earlier in March.

The Catalan giants have now reached an agreement to secure first option on the player, who will cost £26.6m plus £8m in add-ons should the Blaugrana choose to activate the deal in July.

"FC Barcelona and the Brazilian club Gremio de Porto Alegre have reached an agreement on a purchase option for the player Arthur Henrique Ramos de Oliveira Melo, whereas FC Barcelona may exercise this right on the player's federative rights during July of 2018," Barca said in a statement on Sunday.

"In the event that the club finally exercises the option signed, the price of the transfer is set at €30m plus €9m in variable amounts."

Arthur is set to become the third Brazilian in Ernesto Valverde's first-team squad, with Philippe Coutinho and Paulinho already at Camp Nou.