Once again, one of the summer soap operas involving Barça revolves around the signing of a left winger. It is a long-standing target for the Catalan club, which has now been endorsed by Hansi Flick. Last summer, they wanted to sign Nico Williams, who turned down the offer. This year, history has repeated itself, but with more drama, as the player seemed willing to join and there were contacts that came to nothing due to the usual problem: the lack of guarantees from the Catalan club that they would be able to register the player. The financial situation, although it has moved in the right direction, means that signing for Barça is almost a matter of faith.
The search for a winger
The refusal of Nico Williams, who opted to renew with Athletic Club, reopened Barça’s search for a player with speed and dribbling ability to complete the Azulgrana attack. Luis Díaz has always been a prime target in that search.
The Colombian from Liverpool is very much liked by Deco, but his signing is almost impossible due to the English club’s refusal to let him go, competition from Bayern Munich, and a starting price of more than $70 million, which complicates matters for Barça. Plan B has always been Marcus Rashford, who is very keen to play for FC Barcelona, with speculation even suggesting that he was willing to take a pay cut.
The truth is that the English footballer is not in Manchester United’s plans, who have already sidelined him and even withdrawn his number. The English club’s willingness to let him go could mean that his price tag of around $48 million could be open to negotiation. In addition, it has been said that a loan deal would also be a possibility if a transfer cannot be agreed.
In recent hours, more names have emerged. One of them is an old target, Ademola Lookman, who will leave Atalanta this summer after a tortuous year. He is a player that Flick likes and has a starting price of around €50 million. There has also been speculation about the possibility of Bryan Zaragoza. The Spanish player is being followed by Barça. According to Bild, Barça is aware of the player’s future, although it has not yet made any moves to sign him. Bayern has received offers for the player, but has considered them too low, which could be a problem for the Catalans.
New candidates on the agenda
Two new names have been added to the list of potential candidates. One of them is Christopher Nkunku (27), who has just won the Club World Cup. Even so, he knows that his role at Chelsea is not important. According to the Daily Mirror, the brand-new World Cup winner has set a price tag of €40 million for the player, who has several suitors in the market. Specifically, Bayern Munich and Manchester United are closely following him.
The other name on the agenda is Mason Greenwood. The 23-year-old Englishman has played this season at Olympique Marseille, scoring 22 goals and providing six assists in 36 official matches. According to the Manchester Evening News, he is a player who is more prolific on the right wing, but in Barcelona they believe he can play without any problems on both wings or even in a more central position. In addition, his price would be affordable for the Catalans.