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Barcelona confirm newly-signed Pjanic has tested positive for coronavirus

Barcelona have announced that newly-signed midfielder Miralem Pjanic has tested positive for the coronavirus.

The Bosnian recently officially joined Barcelona, with the club announcing in June that Pjanic would be coming to Spain from Juventus on a deal that could rise to be worth €65 million (£59m/$73m).

Midfielder Arthur, meanwhile, went the other way in what was deemed a second deal worth €72m (£66m/$81m) plus up to €10m in bonuses.

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Following the conclusion of Juventus and Barcelona's Champions League campaigns, the two were now free to join their new clubs, but Pjanic will not yet travel to Barcelona after testing positive for Covid-19.

"Miralem Pjanic tested positive for PCR on Saturday, August 22 after suffering some discomfort. The player is in good health and is isolated at home," Barca said in a statement.
 
"For this reason, the player will not travel to Barcelona until 15 days later to join Barca."

Pjanic heads to Juventus following a fairly successful final campaign with Juventus, as the club won Serie A yet again for their ninth consecutive domestic triumph.

The 30-year-old was a part of four of those Serie A title successes, making a total of 178 appearances for Juve after joining from Roma in 2016. 

In addition to the four Serie A crowns, Pjanic also won the Coppa Italia twice and a Supercoppa Italia while being named in the Serie A Team of the Year on four separate occasions.

However, while the club enjoyed another season of domestic success, Juve once again fell short in the Champions League this campaign, having suffered a shock elimination in the round of 16 at the hands of Lyon.

Pjanic's new club, meanwhile, is in a state of upheaval following an 8-2 loss to Bayern Munich in the Champions League quarter-finals.

Head coach Quique Setien and director of football Eric Abidal have already been dismissed, with the former being replaced by former Netherlands coach and ex-Barca defender Ronald Koeman.

President Josep Maria Bartomeu, who has come under fire for the club's failures and is up for re-election in March next year, has also said that several key players will be up for sale during the transfer window as the club looks to bounce back from yet another Champions League collapse.

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