Barcelona’s pre-season has been anything but smooth, with Hansi Flick forced to work under tense conditions as the board juggles squad rebuild plans with financial restrictions.
While Joan Garcia has already been confirmed as the club’s new goalkeeper, the pressure to land a game-changing wide man had caused friction behind the scenes.
Nico Williams, long admired by Deco and others in the sporting department, had been considered a frontrunner early in the window.
Luis Diaz, meanwhile, was also high on the wishlist, with the Liverpool winger reportedly keen on the switch—though negotiations with his club proved too complex.
Despite the uncertainty, Barcelona pulled off a surprise that few had predicted just a few weeks ago.
The Catalan giants have officially secured the signing of Marcus Rashford from Manchester United on a season-long loan deal.
Rashford, who had slipped to third choice behind Williams and Diaz in Barcelona’s shortlist, now arrives as the club’s first-choice left winger for the 2025/26 campaign.
Speaking to Mundo Deportivo, president Joan Laporta gave rare insight into how the operation unfolded: “It has been a more complicated terrain than the goalkeeper because of the opinions that came from all sides.
“There were several options and I’m very happy because we ended up getting the option that I liked the most.”
Want to get the latest Barcelona news direct to your phone? Join our WhatsApp community by clicking here.
Joan Laporta also praised Diaz, but admitted the deal was blocked by Liverpool: “It’s true that I also liked Luis Diaz, a very complete player, but due to his circumstances, with a Liverpool very entrenched, it was complicated although I thank the player who wanted to come at all times.”
On Nico Williams, Laporta revealed negotiations broke down due to unrealistic financial demands: “Nico Williams also happened… There were negotiations, but from what they told us to what it was in the end, there was a lot of difference in the direction of the payment terms, in the agent’s commission and a series of variables that already had signs that the operation would not take place.”
“Deco set a deadline of 48 hours and if they did not accept our conditions, we were not going to do that operation.
“In the end it was not done.
“At the same time, work was done with the other two and Rashford’s was clarified.”
With Garcia and Rashford now signed, Barcelona’s next mission is to finalise player sales to ensure both can be registered with La Liga ahead of the new season.
Want to get the latest Barcelona news direct to your phone? Join our WhatsApp community by clicking here.
