BARCELONA LOOKS TO STRENGTHEN ITS ATTACK
What now? Barça's alternatives to Nico Williams
Published:12/08/2024 - 14:59h
Updated:12/08/2024 - 14:59h
Nico Williams is moving further away from FC Barcelona every day. Therefore, the Barça board must move quickly to find a quality winger for the 2024/25 season and there are some quite interesting options on the market
Alarm bells are ringing for FC Barcelona. After Athletic Club revealed that Nico Williams will have the honour of wearing the '10' shirt in Bilbao in the 2024/25 season, everything seems to indicate that the brand new winner of the 2024 Euro Cup will not sign for the culé team this summer. Therefore, they will have to look for an alternative that combines talent and experience without having to compromise their financial situation in the process.
It is true that Hansi Flick saw Williams as the ideal partner for Lamine Yamal. Both Spaniards gave us great joy in the last European national team tournament, but it seems to be time to turn the page and look to the future, where the Navarrese would not be present. Taking all this into account, there are several players who could fit well into the German's scheme without compromising quality too much. We review the options that the culé board has for this summer market.
Kingsley Coman
The French Bayern Munich player is one of the best wingers in Europe. He is best known for having scored the goal that gave the Bavarian team their sixth Champions League in the 2019/20 season. Flick knows him very well, because they shared in Germany during their glorious period of the sextet. The footballer would have been offered to the Blaugrana club and would be a great option because he could arrive on loan with a mandatory purchase option. Coman has a contract until 2027, his market value is around 50 million euros and the only disadvantage is his salary of almost 20 million per season, which would force an agreement in the event of a possible transfer.
Luis Díaz
Díaz is one of the players who could be affected by the change of coach at Liverpool. He was an undisputed starter under Jürgen Klopp, but the arrival of Arne Slot could have modified his desire to continue playing at Anfield. The Colombian has said on several occasions that he is a fan of Barça, which could facilitate the operation. His contract runs until 2027, his price is 75 million euros and he has been on the agenda of the Barça board for months. In principle, he was seen as an alternative to Olmo, but now he would arrive on the left wing. As for salary, it is something that could be worked on because he only earns 3.5 million euros in England.
Federico Chiesa
The Barça board, if they want, has a great opportunity to sign Chiesa. The Italian is one of the discards of Thiago Motta's Juventus and as his contract expires next year, Turin has reportedly reduced its price to say goodbye as soon as possible. The 26-year-old winger has already been offered to Barcelona, although the club has been following him for some time. The problem would be that many clubs are after him and that, despite the fact that he could leave for around 20 or 30 million euros, his salary is one of the highest at 5 million euros per season, although he would be asking 9 million from the teams that have asked about him.
Jadon Sancho
The 24-year-old is one of the most attractive players of the summer. The Englishman must leave Manchester United because Erik ten Hag does not count on him and they would like to sell him for around 47-48 million euros, a fairly high figure in relation to his market value. The attacker is talented, creative and can bring freshness to the wings, and has been in the sights of the Barça board. The problem is that PSG want to sign him and it will not be easy to compete against their financial power. The Parisians could offer him a better salary, which is almost 12 million euros a year.
Dani Olmo
Another alternative that Barcelona would have is to opt not to buy another player and use Olmo on the left wing. Being such a versatile player, Flick could line him up in up to six different positions and he has not done badly on this wing, averaging a goal per game on each occasion he played with RB Leipzig last season. Although he shines more as an attacking midfielder, he has a lot of competition in that position, so the German coach could go for him on the left, thus saving the board the headache of negotiating in the market.