Barcelona to Make Early Move for 'Brazilian Iniesta' as Real Madrid Circle

Barcelona are reportedly prepared to sign Gremio midfielder Arthur Melo, with fears growing that the Brazilian is attracting too much interest from elsewhere - including Real Madrid.

The Catalan club have been linked with a move for the 21-year-old for a while now, and his talent explains why - already being dubbed the 'Brazilian Iniesta'.

However, while initial reports claimed that the Camp Nou outfit would be waiting until the summer of 2018 before making their move, Catalan newspaper Sport (via Globoesporte) claims that the Spanish league leaders have changed their minds, and will instead make their approach in January.

This is purely down to the amount of interest that the midfielder has been generating with his performances in South America.

Although Arthur was forced to miss out of the International Club World Cup through injury, he's still been looked into by some of Europe's top teams; with links to the likes of Manchester City and Real Madrid appearing within the last few weeks.

Barca want to cut out any possibility of missing out on their man, and in order to avoid that, the club will move to sign him once the European winter window opens - and according to the report, the club have sent people out to Brazil already in order to capture his signature.

Luckily for the Blaugrana, Arthur is also keen on the move to the top of La Liga. 

The Brazilian has already been spotted in a Barcelona shirt and has met with the club's directors beforehand. Arthur would be willing to join in January.