Juventus-bound Barcelona ace Arthur Melo ‘charged by police for being TWICE the limit’ after crash

Barcelona midfielder Arthur Melo has reportedly been charged with drink-driving for failing a breathalyser test after crashing his Ferrari into a streetlight at 4am.

The Brazilian, who is joining Juventus this summer, was judged to be almost double the legal limit at the time of his crash in Palagrugell, according to one report in Spain.

Melo had lost control of his car and mounted the kerb before smashing into a lamppost in the early hours of the morning. 

Midfielder Arthur Melo has reportedly been charged by police for failing a breathalyser test

A local police officer witnessed the accident and arrested Melo, who suffered no significant injuries.

The incident follows Barcelona’s humiliating 8-2 defeat against Bayern Munich and comes just weeks after the player was chastised and fined by the club for returning almost two weeks late for the resumption of training.

The 24-year-old was subsequently dropped for last week’s Champions League quarter-final with Bayern after refusing to report back to the club until August 7. 

Barcelona star Arthur was recently fined by the club for failing to report back for training

Melo will sign for Juventus this summer, with Miralem Pjanic heading in the other direction but this latest incident could raise concerns over his discipline. 

Barcelona president Josep Bartomeu condemned Arthur for not returning to training, saying: ‘This is an unacceptable act. This is why we are exploring our options, and will open up a case against him, as there is no justification for his absence.’

Reports in Italy suggest that Arthur has reached an agreement with Barcelona to allow him to terminate his contract early to fly to Turin in order to begin training with Juventus next week.