Who next for Barcelona if not Nico Williams nor Luis Díaz?

Money management at Camp Nou is a serious challenge but LaLiga giants Barça are still pursuing a top-level winger despite early refusals.

FC Barcelona is not content with just signing Dani Olmo and Pau Víctor. The transfer market remains fully open for the Blaugrana, and the club is exploring every option to strengthen the left wing – a position where their primary target, Nico Williams, slipped away. Williams, who was one of the stars of the recent European Championships (with Barça’s Lamine Yamal on the other Spanish flank) decided to stay at Athletic Bilbao due to pressure, primarily from his family and the club itself, and because he did not receive sufficient guarantees from the Catalans.

Leão moves into Barça’s top target spot

However, the sporting management, led by Deco, has not given up on securing a top-level signing for this position. According to Mundo Deportivo, all efforts are now focused on Rafael Leão, the AC Milan forward. Leão was already on Deco’s initial list of targets, alongside Luis Díaz, who Liverpool are unwilling to let go. Both were considered strong alternatives to Nico Williams for the left wing.

Barcelona is fully aware of the challenges involved in securing this transfer. Leão is one of Milan’s key players, and his market value is very high, potentially around $100 million. Despite his proven quality, he is still relatively young, at just 25. Barcelona has the support of his agent, Jorge Mendes, who views a move to a major European club as a positive step after five seasons with the ‘Rossoneri’, where it appears Leão has yet to fully realise his potential.

The Blaugrana have set aside just over $66 million, initially reserved for Williams, to pursue a signing of this magnitude. However, they would need to finalise additional sales to generate more financial resources and to free up sufficient salary space for the arrival of another high-earning player. In this regard, the potential departures of Gündogan – a return to Man City most likely – Lenglet, and Vitor Roque are crucial, though other exits cannot be ruled out, even for players who, as of now, seem unlikely to leave.

While Barcelona’s primary objective is to secure a high-caliber reinforcement for the left wing, significantly improving the current squad, Deco is also considering lower-cost and lower-quality options, such as Kingsley Coman or Chiesa, who have been offered to the club.