Arthur's move to Barcelona agreed pending draft of the contracts, according to Gremio insider

Arthur's proposed move to Barcelona has already been agreed and is only pending the draft of the contracts being completed, according to the chief of staff of Gremio president Romildo Bozan Jr.

Mundo Deportivo claims that the president's chief of staff confirmed the big news to them following the Copa Libertadores 1-1 draw between Gremio and Defensor Sporting played on Tuesday (27 February).

The Spanish publication claims that president Bozan Jr refused to make any comments on Arthur's proposed move to Barcelona but his chief of staff admitted that the deal is now a mere formality.

"Everything is agreed, the numbers are already closed. All that remains is to draft the contracts, which can probably be finalized this week," the chief of staff of Bozan Jr said to Mundo Deportivo.

Chelsea, Manchester United [Daily Mail] and even Real Madrid [Marca] have also been linked with Arthur in recent months but Barcelona have been seen as the frontrunners in the race since the player was photographed in a Blaugrana shirt alongside club technical secretary Robert Fernandez in December.

Following weeks of negotiations last week Sport reported that Barcelona and Gremio had reached an agreement in principle over a deal worth €30m (£26.6m, $36.6m) plus €10m in add-ons.

The Spanish publication said that Barcelona had agreed to allow Gremio to keep Arthur until the January transfer window of 2019 in order to lower his €50m release clause.

Later Sport suggested that last minute interest from Manchester United and AS Monaco could delay the final agreement but Arthur himself played down concerns of the Barcelona fans after confirming that negotiations to move to the Nou Camp were eventually on track.

"I haven't signed anything yet but the negotiations are going on track," Arthur said as quoted by Sport.

Meanwhile, Gremio director of football Andre Zanotta suggested at the time that this week could be decisive for both clubs to complete the move.

"We had a meeting on Monday in Porto Alegre. The matter is on course. We are ready for there to be a definitive agreement but we think that until next week there won't be a positive outcome," Zanotta said according to Sport.

And it looks like the proposed transfer is edging closer following the latest revelations from the president's chief of staff.