Out-of-favour Barcelona midfielder Miralem Pjanic is reportedly keen on staying put at Camp Nou and seeing out his contract, which runs until 2024.
According to journalist Achraf Ben Ayad on Twitter, Barcelona outcast Miralem Pjanic does not intend to leave the club in the summer transfer window and plans to see out his contract with the Catalans.
Pjanic arrived at Barcelona in the summer of 2020 from Serie A giants Juventus as part of a convoluted agreement which saw Arthur Melo move the other way. However, the Bosnian international endured a disappointing debut season in Catalonia, as he failed to win over the trust of then-manager Ronald Koeman.
Pjanic played only 30 times across all competitions during the 2020/21 campaign (1295 minutes), of which only six were starts in La Liga. Having grown disillusioned with life at Camp Nou, the 32-year-old pushed for a move last summer and signed for Turkish outfit Besiktas on a season-long loan deal.
The 32-year-old enjoyed regular game-time in Turkey, although an injury in the second half of the season meant that he ended the campaign with just 26 appearances (1867 minutes) in all competitions. While Besiktas had the option of signing Pjanic permanently, they have decided not to take up that option, leaving the midfielder’s future in limbo.
Set to return to Barcelona for pre-season, Pjanic is attracting interest from clubs across Europe. Serie A side Napoli have shown a keenness towards the former AS Roma and Juventus star, with reports suggesting that he could be used as a makeweight in a deal that would see Barcelona land Kalidou Koulibaly.
Pjanic is also on the radars of French club Olympique Marseille heading into the summer window. However, as per the update from Achraf Ben Ayad, the midfielder has no desire to leave Barcelona this summer as he plans to stay put at Camp Nou and see out his contract, which expires in 2024.
Barcelona already have a bloated midfield department with Sergio Busquets, Frenkie de Jong, Pedri, Gavi and Riqui Puig, while they are also set to add Franck Kessie on a Bosman deal imminently. Even though de Jong and Puig could leave this summer, it is unlikely that Pjanic would find favour under manager Xavi Hernandez.
But, as things stand, the former Juventus mainstay does not wish to depart Barcelona, which will make things difficult for the Catalans, who are in a dire financial situation and need to get rid of their unwanted players.
