Barcelona midfielder Miralem Pjanic's hopes of returning to Juventus are now in doubt.

With Juventus wrapping up a deal for Sassuolo midfielder Manuel Locatelli, that has cast doubt on the prospect of Pjanic also making a return to Turin.

Sport says Barça were hoping that Juventus would take the Bosnian midfielder off their hands, helping them to significantly reduce their wage bill. The player himself was keen to move, and was even willing to take a wage cut to make the move happen.

However, with Locatelli moving from Sassuolo to Juventus, Barça's chances of shifting the player have taken a real blow. Now, they will only be able to sign the Bosnian midfielder if they find a new suitor for ex-Arsenal player Aaron Ramsey.

Locatelli has signed for Juve on an initial loan deal with an obligatory purchase clause set at 35 million euros.