Besiktas has officially confirmed the loan signing of Miralem Pjanic from Barcelona until the conclusion of the current season, making the Bosnian midfielder the latest player to part ways with the Catalan club. Besiktas revealed that they will be paying 2.7 million euros ($3.2 million) to secure the services of the 31-year-old until June 2022.

Pjanic had joined Barcelona from Juventus last year, where he had been a part of the team since 2016. Despite making 30 appearances for Barcelona across various competitions, the Bosnia international struggled to secure a regular spot in the starting lineup.

Barcelona has been actively working to trim its wage bill during the transfer window. Even the departure of Lionel Messi to Paris St Germain did not prove sufficient for the club to comply with LaLiga’s Financial Fair Play regulations, hindering their ability to register new players.

Several players left the club during the transfer window, with Antoine Griezmann also departing on deadline day to rejoin Atletico Madrid on loan. Barcelona publicly announced their efforts to negotiate salary reductions and payment deferrals with senior players. Gerard Pique was the first to agree, enabling the registration of new signings such as Emerson Royal (who was subsequently sold to Tottenham Hotspur), Memphis Depay, and Eric Garcia.

On deadline day, Jordi Alba and captain Sergio Busquets also agreed to such arrangements, allowing the registration of Sergio Aguero, who was acquired during the close season.