Reports of a €40million agreement between Gremio and Barcelona for midfielder Arthur are wide of the mark, according to the Brazilian club’s president Romildo Bolzan.
Barcelona’s interest in the 21-year-old midfielder is long-standing, having been linked with him regularly towards the end of 2017, when Arthur was a key part of the Gremio side which won the Copa Libertadores.
Arthur was photographed wearing the Catalan club’s jersey in a meeting with their sporting director Robert Fernandez in December.
Although that angered Gremio, they have been in regular dialogue with Barca ever since over a potential move, with reports in Spain claiming on Tuesday that an agreement had finally been made.But Gremio insists such claims are purely speculation, with a deal still to be struck.
Speaking to Radio Bandeirantes, Bolzan said: “A deal has still not been finalised.
“There have been plenty of discussions, but at this stage the transfer cannot be considered a foregone conclusion.”
Meanwhile, UEFA has confirmed Adrien Rabiot’s yellow card against Real Madrid in the Champions League will stand following an appeal from Paris Saint-Germain.
Rabiot had put the Ligue 1 leaders in front at the Santiago Bernabeu, but a Cristiano Ronaldo double and a late goal from Marcelo secured the holders a 3-1 first-leg lead.
The midfielder was booked for a challenge on Luka Modric, although replays appeared to indicate the Croatia international went down under little contact.
PSG appealed against the decision, but in a statement on Wednesday UEFA said its Control, Ethics and Disciplinary Body had ruled against the French club.
Rabiot’s booking was his first in the Champions League this season, so he remains available for the second leg in Paris on March 6.
The 22-year-old was heavily critical of PSG’s performance against Madrid, suggesting they had repeated their stunning collapse against Barcelona last season.
“We always say the same things, we always do the same things, and in the end, we are always floored in the same way,” Rabiot told beIN SPORTS.
“It’s great to put eight goals past Dijon, but it is in these matches that you have to make it count.”