Arsenal are the latest club to join the race to sign Barcelona midfielder Miralem Pjanic on loan for the season, according to a report.

Spanish outlet Sport (via Sport Witness) claim that in the last few days, Arsenal have joined the bid to sign Miralem Pjanic from Barcelona. Tottenham Hotspur, Chelsea, and Juventus are other clubs reportedly in the race.

Barcelona are set to start pre-season soon, but Pjanic doesn’t want to return, and the club are willing to accept any deal to cut ties with Pjanic and save them his wages for the next year.

Pjanic’s preference is to join Juventus, but they need to offload players first. In the meantime, the 31-year-old’s representatives are exploring other options. He’s hopeful of finding a solution this week.

Arsenal are reportedly in negotiations for the signing, though they don’t want to pay a loan fee.

At this stage, I’d chalk this one up to agent talk. It’s very clear that Pjanic wants to leave Barcelona, and that he wants to do so quickly. The best way to put pressure on the team he wants to join (Juventus) is to invent links to other interested clubs.

At the same time, we know Arsenal are in the market for an experienced midfielder, so it’s not completely impossible. I just wouldn’t read too much into the reports for now.

For the record, Pjanic made 30 appearances (13 starts) for Barcelona last season, without scoring or assisting a goal.