Barcelona working on deals for Luis Diaz and Marcus Rashford simultaneously

Barcelona are determined to sign a new left winger this summer, although their efforts have been affected in recent weeks. Nico Williams, who had looked destined to join at one stage, recently snubbed a move for the second year in a row, which means that the club’s sporting department are back to square one.

After the Williams rejection, Barcelona drew up a two-man shortlist: Luis Diaz and Marcus Rashford. Both players are well-liked, but the favourite of sporting director Deco is the Liverpool man. However, recent reports have suggested that he is being moved away from due to pessimism over their ability to complete a deal, which is why Rashford has come to the fore.

However, Marca have revealed that Barcelona still believe that Diaz can be signed, despite the fact that they are not prepared to pay Liverpool’s current asking price. Club-to-club talks will not take place for a little while as the Catalans are respecting the Premier League champions’ mourning period after the tragic death of Diogo Jota, but they are working on a deal within Can Barca.

It will be difficult for Barcelona to sign Diaz – not only because of Liverpool’s stance, but also given that Bayern Munich are pushing to bring him to Bavaria. As a result, a deal for Rashford is also being planned behind the scenes, which is why further talks are planned with the representatives of the England international.

As such, Barcelona are currently simultaneously on the Diaz and Rashford operations, although the likelihood is that only one will be able to join. The former is still the priority of Deco, but it would be no surprise if a deal was eventually ruled out in the coming weeks – which is why it is smart to be working on both.