Barcelona president Joan Laporta has been asked about his club’s summer transfer business and specifically the decision to sign Marcus Rashford after missing out on Nico Williams.
Laporta says that Rashford was always his preferred option but that Deco felt they should should purse the Williams option.
“There were several options, and I’m very happy because we ended up getting the option I liked the most. It’s true that I also liked Luis Díaz, a very complete player, but due to his circumstances, with
ADLiverpool very entrenched, it was complicated, although I appreciate the player who always wanted to come,” he told Mundo Deportivo.
“The Nico Williams situation also happened. And given that Luis’s situation was complicated and that we were in the process of negotiating with Rashford, Nico’s agent came to me offering the possibility of signing him. Deco told me about it.
“In principle, I preferred to work on the other two options [Rashford and Diaz], but in these cases I always listen to the sporting director. He said we should at least listen because he’s an interesting player because he holds his own on the wing.”
Laporta then explained why the deal fell through and why Williams ended up staying at Athletic Club.
“Negotiations took place, but from what they told us to what it ended up being, there was a big difference in the payment terms, the agent’s commission, and a series of variables that already suggested the deal wouldn’t happen,” he added.
“Deco set a 48-hour deadline, and if they didn’t accept our terms, we wouldn’t do the deal. In the end, it didn’t happen. In parallel, work continued on the other two, and Rashford’s became clearer.”
After missing out on Williams, Barcelona have gone on to secure Rashford on a season-long loan with an option to buy next year.
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