Barcelona Reportedly Step Up Miralem Pjanic Hunt After Manchester City Rejected

Barcelona are reportedly hoping to sign Juventus star Miralem Pjanic after the Turin club are said to have turned down an approach for the midfielder by Manchester City. 

It was reported by Tuttosport (h/t Joe Short of the Daily Express) that City enquired about Pjanic's availability after top target Jorginho joined Chelsea, only for the Bianconeri to politely reject their advances.

Barca are also in the market for midfield reinforcements this summer and are believed to be interested, while Juve may require some sales in the coming weeks after breaking the bank to sign Cristiano Ronaldo.

It's said City manager Pep Guardiola is an admirer of Pjanic, 28, but his side's chances of landing the player were reportedly stunted after they were informed it could cost at least £71 million to take him from Turin, per Short.

That's almost three times the reported €32 million (£25.4 million) fee that took him to the Old Lady from AS Roma in 2016, and Statman Dave displayed just one of the strengths that makes Pjanic such a valuable commodity:

Barcelona icon Andres Iniesta left the club for Japan this summer, while Paulinho has returned to China with Guangzhou Evergrande, and Arthur is thus far the only new face to arrive in midfield following his switch from Gremio.

Short mentioned the Blaugrana's interest in Ajax playmaker Frenkie de Jong as evidence of their ongoing search for creativity, and Pjanic has proved he's that after settling into a deep-lying role at the Allianz Stadium.

But their spending power may not be the same as City's, and although Guardiola already has a raft of midfield stars at the Etihad Stadium, they pose a real threat on just about any target after last season's run to the Premier League crown.

Ronaldo has joined Juve on a four-year contract and was unveiled on Monday. Blogger Arjun Pradeep cited Mediaset when reporting the total cost of the Portuguese star's move, which could drive the need to recoup some funds this summer through sales:

Both Barca and City's pursuit is harmed by Juventus angling to tie their star down to new terms, however, according to Calciomercato.com, having won back-to-back league titles following his move from Roma.

The buzz around Turin is the highest it's been for some time after Ronaldo's arrival, and Pjanic's social-media activity has suggested he's one of those looking forward to working with the five-time Ballon d'Or winner:

Bosnia and Herzegovina international Pjanic is desired by superpowers in Spain and England, but it's Italy's titans who could be set to swat away interest and hang onto their man this summer.