At Barcelona, they are watching all their pieces fall into place. Nico Williams’ refusal has shown that, once again this summer, the club’s finances are dictating the market, where it is impossible to compete without being able to offer guarantees of playing time or high salaries, as well as large sums of money. Following the Athletic player’s refusal, other options have become complicated, and the Barça management has set itself a new and ambitious goal.
Need for a left winger
The priority in the transfer market is the attack. This is nothing new. Barça has been looking for a left winger for several seasons. Hansi Flick made it very clear in his last press conference of the season that the club needs to sign a player for that position: “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.
The club is looking for a player who can increase competition in an attack with a very defined trident that plays everything. They want a winger with speed, dribbling ability, and the ability to get behind the defense to improve an area of the pitch that has contributed a lot of goals this season. The demands are high, and therefore a high-profile player is being sought.
Candidates after Nico Williams’ NO
Nico Williams asked for some guarantee of registration beyond the club’s word, wanting a release clause that the club could not agree to as it did not want to lose an investment of more than $60 million lightly. In the absence of guarantees, the Navarrese player slammed the door on Barça again and decided to renew with Athletic until 2035.
Something similar could happen with Luis Díaz, who was the favorite for a long time before the Navarrese player appeared on the scene. The Colombian player has given Liverpool an ultimatum to improve his conditions or let him leave. It seems that the player is taking advantage of Barça’s interest to negotiate his renewal, but Bayern Munich is also in the equation with more financial potential than the Catalans.
Also on the list of candidates is Rafa Leao, who is almost impossible to sign due to his high asking price. Marcus Rashford has not quite convinced Deco, although everything about his signing is in his favor. In the last few hours, a player with a very similar profile to the Englishman has also emerged as an option, as his club wants to sell him and he would not be very expensive, namely Xavi Simons. A world-renowned option has been added to the list of candidates who could end up at Camp Nou.
New and powerful candidate
In the search for the perfect winger, a new and powerful player has been linked with the Catalan club. “He’s a player who looked good, but he’s had the same thing happen to him as Rashford,” explained Eduardo Inda when Josep Pedrerol asked him about the player Barcelona are interested in. “He plays for Manchester City and his name is Jack Grealish. He’s cheap, 40 million,” added the journalist.
The winger is not in Pep Guardiola’s plans, as he has never returned to the level he showed in the 2023 Champions League final. Relations between Barcelona and Manchester City have been excellent in recent times, so it could be a straightforward deal for the Catalan club, which is not looking to make any big signings.