Barça has made it clear in recent weeks that its priority in the transfer market is none other than to strengthen its attack with a left winger. This is not a new objective, as last summer, until practically the last day of the transfer window, the option of signing Nico Williams was on the table. The name of the Navarran player has never been off the table, but now the priority seems to be Luis Díaz.
Need for a left winger
It is common knowledge that Barça wants a left winger, as this has been made clear by both the technical department and the coaching staff in various statements to the press. The latest statement from Deco, the sporting director, made it clear that the squad is fine as it is and no reinforcements are expected unless someone leaves, but the area where he sees the most options in the market is in attack: “And in attack, it will depend on what we can do in the market. But it is perhaps the only area where we identify the need for one or two players.”
This is not the first time that the club has expressed the need to sign a reinforcement for the attack to reduce the dependence on Lamine and Raphinha and offer more alternatives to Hansi Flick, as he himself said before the end of the season. “In recent games, we haven’t had many options for these positions. Looking at players is Deco’s job, but I will help him,” he said.
Nico Williams, always on the agenda?
Talking about signing a left winger for Barça and not mentioning Nico Williams would be pointless. The 22-year-old footballer has been one of the sensations of LaLiga and the national team, and although the spotlight on the Barça team is pointing in another direction, many say that this is merely a distraction and that the real target is the Athletic player.
This was confirmed by Jota Jordi on El Chiringuito: “Nico Williams is Barça’s dark horse,” he said emphatically, adding that “if Nico Williams made an approach to Barça… he would become number one again.”
In principle, Barça has not made any moves in this direction and its priorities are focused on Colombian Luis Díaz, who plays for Liverpool. In addition, Barça is well aware of the fierce competition for the Athletic player, who has attracted interest from the Premier League and is getting closer and closer to Bayern.
Several German media outlets have already reported on the Bavarian giant’s interest in Nico. In fact, according to Florian Plettenberg, a journalist for Sky Germany, the Allianz Arena club wants to sign a winger and only has two candidates: Bradley Barcola, from PSG, and Nico Williams. The former would be very difficult financially, so they would go for the Spaniard.
Luis Díaz is the priority
The objective is clear: to strengthen the left wing of the attack, and the candidate is also clear: Luis Díaz. The Colombian Liverpool player is the absolute favorite, although there are other players on the list. The reason is the price. At present, the English club is demanding around $80 million to let the Colombian go, which is an unaffordable amount for Barça. The strategy is to play for time, as it is expected that the English club’s demands will drop after the large investment they have made. Furthermore, the Colombian would be keen to move to Camp Nou and has reportedly told Barça that he has Liverpool’s promise to let him leave for a lower amount than is being reported.