The end of the European journey... Arthur Melo returns to Brazil again. | OneFootball

New loan for the Brazilian.

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After seven and a half years navigating the pressures of European football, Arthur Melo has returned to the familiar embrace of his boyhood club, Grêmio of Porto Alegre. The Brazilian midfielder arrives on an 18-month loan from Juventus, with an option to extend until the end of 2026.

In an emotional video released by the club, the 29-year-old expressed that his homecoming was a matter of heart over financial gain. "My roots are here. The situation was complicated because it depended on Juventus, and there were better offers financially—but I insisted on returning to Grêmio because it is my home," he shared.

Arthur’s career has come full circle. He first rose to prominence as the creative engine of Grêmio’s 2017 Copa Libertadores-winning side, a performance that earned him a high-profile move to Barcelona. There, he quickly collected a La Liga title and a Spanish Super Cup in his debut season. However, his trajectory in Europe gradually faltered after a transfer to Juventus in 2020, followed by a series of underwhelming loan spells at Liverpool, Fiorentina, and most recently, Girona.

A Copa América winner with Brazil in 2019, Arthur now returns to a club in urgent need of inspiration. Grêmio currently finds itself languishing in the bottom half of the Brazilian Championship, recently eliminated from both the Copa do Brasil and Copa Sudamericana, and hovering just five points above the relegation zone. The club is banking on Arthur’s technical quality and emotional connection to reignite their faltering campaign.