Barcelona Eyes Winger Reinforcements Amidst Nico Williams‘ Contract Extension and Luis diaz’s Unavailability
Barcelona’s pursuit of winger reinforcements this summer has been met with a significant setback as Athletic Club’s Nico Williams committed his future to the Basque club by signing a new contract through 2035. Concurrently, Liverpool has firmly rejected an approach for their winger, luis Diaz, last month, emphasizing that the 28-year-old Colombian international, also a target for Bayern Munich, is not for sale.
In May, when questioned about the necessity of signing a new winger during the summer transfer window, Barcelona manager Hansi Flick indicated a clear need for increased options and quality in that position. “This is what we have talked about with the club,” Flick stated. “In the last matches, maybe we did not have a lot of options in that position… so we have to bring more options to the team and more quality. This is the job from Deco, it’s clear, and I will support him.”
Flick further commented on Diaz and Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford, acknowledging their talent without confirming specific interest. “I don’t want to speak about players which are not in my team, but of course Luis Diaz and marcus Rashford are fantastic players. I like them and we’ll see what happens.”
Marcus Rashford’s situation at Manchester United has been a subject of speculation. The England international has not featured for the club since a Europa League fixture on December 12. He was notably excluded from the squad by manager Ruben Amorim for a premier League match against Manchester City on December 15. In an interview later that month, Rashford expressed his openness to a “new challenge” away from Old Trafford.
While Manchester United has not officially ruled out rashford’s reintegration, he was among five players granted permission to explore potential moves away from the club. despite this, Rashford reported for pre-season training on July 8, engaging in individual work rather than participating in team training sessions with the rest of Ruben Amorim’s squad.
Rashford, a product of the United academy, has amassed 426 appearances for the club since his debut in 2015, scoring 138 goals.
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