Barcelona in disarray: Deal agreed for unwanted player

Barcelona are on the verge of signing a player who wasn’t even Laporta’s first choice.

As the days go by, the situation at FC Barcelona continues to deteriorate. The Catalan club started the summer with the aim of signing Nico Williams, but the Athletic Club player rejected a move to the Nou Camp. Instead, Dani Olmo arrived for €60 million, a move that was not well received by the club’s fans.

Now, Ilkay Gündogan, a key player last season, has decided to leave the club as a free agent. Finally, Barça are still looking for a winger to replace Nico Williams and who can provide a high level immediately.

A desperate attempt for Rafael Leao ‘Mundo Deportivo’ reported that the Catalan club would do everything in their power to sign a top player and that, with the essential collaboration of Jorge Mendes, they will try to secure the signing of Rafael Leao.

However, signing the Portuguese is quite complicated. The player is even more expensive than Nico Williams and AC Milan will not sell him for less than €100 million, a figure that Barcelona cannot afford.

Furthermore, according to information from Turkish journalist Ekrem KONUR, the Catalan side have enquired about the transfer of Jadon Sancho. Several clubs have been interested in a player who excelled last season but who has a very high salary at Manchester United.

The alternative to the Portuguese

Faced with the difficulty of signing Rafael Leao, FC Barcelona have put another name on the table. According to the newspaper Sport, Federico Chiesa has reportedly turned down all the offers he had on the table to prioritise the opportunity to play for Barça, and that desire could be key to Barça deciding to sign him.

The aforementioned source states that the winger earns around €6 million net at Juventus but would be willing to reduce his salary to €4.5 million per season as long as Barça guarantees him a contract for the next three seasons.

In principle, Federico Chiesa fits what the Catalan club is looking for. He has had a good season and could adapt well. However, he is a player prone to injuries and was not Joan Laporta’s main idea, as he arrives as a ‘Plan E’ after the rejections of Nico Williams, Rafael Leao, Luis Díaz and Jadon Sancho.