Arthur Melo has completed his loan move from Juventus to Liverpool for €4.5m with option to buy for another €37.5m. ‘It’s a dream.’
The official Juventus statement confirmed the details of the move, which was initially believed to be just a dry loan.
Liverpool have paid €4.5m for the one-season loan, plus €0.3m in bonuses, and have an option to buy for a further €37.5m, payable in two instalments.
The Brazilian midfielder has not played at all this term and was left out of pre-season friendlies too, as he was not part of coach Max Allegri’s plans.
“I’m really, really happy to be here wearing this great shirt with this famous badge that represents so much in world football, it’s a dream,” he told Liverpoolfc.com.
“We talked a lot, and our ideas and visions were a good fit so I’m sure it was the right choice. I’m really happy and highly motivated to continue living my dream on the pitch and giving my all in a Liverpool shirt.”
His huge salary, believed to be €5m per season net plus bonuses, ruined several previous attempts to make a move this summer, above all to Valencia and Sporting CP, while Arsenal had shown interest in January.
The 26-year-old never quite made an impact in the Bianconeri jersey, moving in an exchange deal that took Miralem Pjanic to Barcelona in September 2020.
As part of that agreement, Arthur’s transfer value at the time was registered as €76m plus bonuses, although in effect only €10m in cash ever exchanged hands.
Fabio Capello famously criticised Arthur’s playing style, saying the midfielder was “more suited to rugby than football” because he so rarely makes a forward pass.
Arthur ultimately made just 63 competitive appearances in the Juventus jersey, contributing one goal and one assist.
He published a video on social media with a message that merely said ‘thanks.’