Barcelona and Juventus confirm swap deal

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Barcelona have tied up two deals with Juventus as Matheus Pereira moves to Camp Nou from the Allianz Stadium with an option to buy and Alejandro Marques heads in the opposite direction.

A trade agreement had been in the pipeline for a while, with sources close to the negotiations revealing as much to Goal.

Movement in and out of Catalunya has now been completed, with Barca acquiring the services of a promising Brazilian midfielder.

Pereira had spent the first half of the current campaign on loan at Ligue 1 outfit Dijon.

He will now link up with the Barcelona B team as the Liga giants seek to maximise the 22-year-old’s potential.

A statement on Barca’s official website read: “Born in Sao Paulo and a product of the youth system at Corinthians, Matheus Pereira da Silva is an offensive midfielder who is noted for his touch and his arrival in the area from the second line.

“The Brazilian player, who has been followed by Barca club for some time, made the leap to European football in the summer of 2016 at Empoli in Serie B, and was subsequently loaned to Juventus where he would play with Juvenil.

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“After making a permanent transfer, the Turin club took over his services and sanctioned a number of loan assignments: Girondins de Bordeaux (Ligue 1), Parana Clube and Dijon.

“Last season, however, Pereira would play with Juventus’ C-Series subsidiary, scoring five goals. In addition, he made his official debut with the first team and took in three appearances. Pereira has been an international with the Brazil U17 team.”

As Pereira arrives at Camp Nou, Marques has departed in an €8.2 million (£7m/$9m) transfer.

The 19-year-old forward has spent the last three years as part of the famed La Masia academy system.

He has caught the eye away from the first-team fold at Barca and will be hoping to see his career maintain an upwards trajectory after linking up with Juve.

Both Marques and Pereira are considered to be bright prospects for the future, but will be eager to impress new employers in the present and repay the faith shown in them.

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