After reaching agreement with Liverpool for Arthur, Juventus also struck a deal with Chelsea for Denis Zakaria, whose transfer became official during the night. Both midfielders moved on loans with sizable options to buy, with the Bianconeri also receiving initial fees.
The Reds paid €4.5M to have the Brazilian in 2022/2023. They will have the opportunity to purchase him for €37.5M in 2023. Instead, the Pensioners spent €3M right away for the former Borussia Moenchengladbach star, plus a €1M potential add-on. They will be able to acquire him for €28M plus €5M bonuses next summer. The Old Lady had signed him for €8.6M in January.
It had been suggested that the management wanted to trim the midfield before onboarding Leandro Paredes. It did happen, although in the opposite order. The Argentine joined before Arthur and Zakaria left Juventus.
Liverpool are covering most of the ex-Barcelona midfielder’s €7M salary, TuttoSport reports. According to Goal’s Romeo Agresti, the Swiss man had been offered to Atletico Madrid and Roma in the packages for Alvaro Morata and Nicolò Zaniolo. Fabio Miretti blossoming contributed to his exit; otherwise, the Bianconeri would have had eight midfielders to rotate. All parties were satisfied with the deal with the Blues going through.
Our Take on Juventus Partying Ways with Arthur and Zakaria
The writing had been on the wall for a long time for the former, who struggled with injuries and always seemed a poor fit for Serie A football, at least the way the Old Lady interprets it. The latter hadn’t managed to become a key element, but he would have stayed had Adrien Rabiot departed. It would be a financial boon if both transferred permanently down the line, but it’s implausible.
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