Ligue 1 side Lyon have reportedly displayed interest in out-of-favour Juventus midfielder Arthur Melo amid Valencia links. As reported by TUTTOmercatoWEB, Les Gones have leapfrogged the Spaniards in the race to sign the former Barcelona man.
Arsenal vied for Arthur’s signature in January, but the deal never went through. The Gunners’ interest has since faded, with Valencia emerging as a potential destination for the underperforming Brazilian playmaker. New Los Che boss Gennaro Gattuso holds the 26-year-old in high esteem and would like to throw him a lifeline in La Liga.
However, Valencia could miss out on the Juventus outcast after Lyon joined the race to capture his services. Despite bringing Corentin Tolisso back from Bayern Munich, the French giants are still in the market for a new midfielder. Indeed, they lost Tanguy Ndombele to Napoli and are short of options in the middle of the park.
Juventus are said to be open to letting Arthur go to offload his wages since he is not part of Massimiliano Allegri’s plans anymore. Manuel Locatelli and Adrien Rabiot are both ahead of the ex-Barca midfielder in the pecking order after he failed to convince the Bianconeri gaffer.
Though Juventus won’t stand in Arthur’s way should he decide to move on, it remains uncertain whether Lyon can afford his salary. But with Lucas Paqueta on the cusp of penning a multi-year contract at West Ham United, the Ligue 1 team could amass funds to finance the Brazilian’s arrival.
One way or another, Arthur’s career at Juventus is coming to a close.