10 players Barcelona missed out on - and who they signed instead
Barcelona have produced such talent through their academy that they have been able to cope better than most without big money signings - but there have still been some disappointments in the transfer market
>Things have changed lately, with the pursuit of Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele resulting in high expenses, but there have been plenty of players on the club's shopping list who haven't ended up moving to the Camp We.
And in recent years, Barcelona fans have become accustomed to not getting what they want, with their financial crisis forcing them to limit themselves to who they can target in the transfer market.
We took a look at a few of those missed goals and reminded who Barca ended up signing instead.
Georginio WijnaldumBarcelona's financial situation was so dire in the summer of 2021 that they were unable to retain the greatest player in their history, Lionel Messi.
Under such circumstances, any team addition should be cheap or, even better, free. Sergio Aguero joined Manchester City and Memphis Depay arrived from Lyon to bolster the attack, signing Bosmans after their deals with their respective clubs expired.
As the final months of his contract with Liverpool ticked away, it was announced that Wijnaldum would join fellow Dutchmen Ronald Koeman and Depay at Camp Nou, but they were eventually eyed by PSG.
"It's funny because I have to admit it was a very difficult choice. I've supported Barca since I was young, I'm a fan of this club," Wijnaldum explained after signing the deal.
"We were negotiating with them and I had a good feeling, but PSG was also negotiating with other clubs. PSG even arrived before Barça."
Barcelona ended up not signing a back-up midfielder which didn't work out too badly as the vacancy allowed La Masia graduates Gavi and Nico to thrive.
READ: Brilliant Xl of Barcelona players aged 23 or under: Fati, Pedri, Gavi...
Marco AsensioReal Madrid got a bargain when Marco Asensio joined Real Mallorca for less than €5m, but it would be wrong to think they didn't have competition for the Spain international.< /p>
Agent Horacio Gaggioli, who helped bring Lionel Messi to Barcelona, has revealed that Barca are also keen on Asensio but are unwilling to pay the €4.5m asking price to him. advance, insisting instead on an initial fee of €2.5m with an additional €2m if he played for the club in La Liga.
We all know what happened next. Asensio completed his move to Madrid, while Barcelona decided to expand the following summer, paying over €30m to bring Arda Turan from Atletico Madrid.
David BeckhamAsensio is not the only player of this century to have opted for Madrid rather than Barcelona.
Beckham was set to move to Catalonia when his time ran out at Old Trafford, with The New York Times reporting that Manchester United had agreed a fee with Barca.
>The only problem, however, was Beckham's apparent reluctance to become a political pawn in the election of club chairman Joan Laporta. The absence of Champions League football with such a decision could also have played a role.
"It was between Beckham, Ronaldinho or [Thierry] Henry. United told us they would sell him to us if we won the [presidential] election because we didn't have the power at that time" , Laporta later recalled.
"But they used us and in the end he signed for Madrid. We met at Heathrow airport and signed a document saying that they would sell him to us if we reached an agreement with the 'agent.
"However, we didn't make it. We went to Nice and stayed with him and he said he would think about it. We got tired of waiting for an answer, so we signed Ronaldinho instead."
It worked out well for them, didn't it?
Barcelona have produced such talent through their academy that they have been able to cope better than most without big money signings - but there have still been some disappointments in the transfer market
>Things have changed lately, with the pursuit of Philippe Coutinho and Ousmane Dembele resulting in high expenses, but there have been plenty of players on the club's shopping list who haven't ended up moving to the Camp We.
And in recent years, Barcelona fans have become accustomed to not getting what they want, with their financial crisis forcing them to limit themselves to who they can target in the transfer market.
We took a look at a few of those missed goals and reminded who Barca ended up signing instead.
Georginio WijnaldumBarcelona's financial situation was so dire in the summer of 2021 that they were unable to retain the greatest player in their history, Lionel Messi.
Under such circumstances, any team addition should be cheap or, even better, free. Sergio Aguero joined Manchester City and Memphis Depay arrived from Lyon to bolster the attack, signing Bosmans after their deals with their respective clubs expired.
As the final months of his contract with Liverpool ticked away, it was announced that Wijnaldum would join fellow Dutchmen Ronald Koeman and Depay at Camp Nou, but they were eventually eyed by PSG.
"It's funny because I have to admit it was a very difficult choice. I've supported Barca since I was young, I'm a fan of this club," Wijnaldum explained after signing the deal.
"We were negotiating with them and I had a good feeling, but PSG was also negotiating with other clubs. PSG even arrived before Barça."
Barcelona ended up not signing a back-up midfielder which didn't work out too badly as the vacancy allowed La Masia graduates Gavi and Nico to thrive.
READ: Brilliant Xl of Barcelona players aged 23 or under: Fati, Pedri, Gavi...
Marco AsensioReal Madrid got a bargain when Marco Asensio joined Real Mallorca for less than €5m, but it would be wrong to think they didn't have competition for the Spain international.< /p>
Agent Horacio Gaggioli, who helped bring Lionel Messi to Barcelona, has revealed that Barca are also keen on Asensio but are unwilling to pay the €4.5m asking price to him. advance, insisting instead on an initial fee of €2.5m with an additional €2m if he played for the club in La Liga.
We all know what happened next. Asensio completed his move to Madrid, while Barcelona decided to expand the following summer, paying over €30m to bring Arda Turan from Atletico Madrid.
David BeckhamAsensio is not the only player of this century to have opted for Madrid rather than Barcelona.
Beckham was set to move to Catalonia when his time ran out at Old Trafford, with The New York Times reporting that Manchester United had agreed a fee with Barca.
>The only problem, however, was Beckham's apparent reluctance to become a political pawn in the election of club chairman Joan Laporta. The absence of Champions League football with such a decision could also have played a role.
"It was between Beckham, Ronaldinho or [Thierry] Henry. United told us they would sell him to us if we won the [presidential] election because we didn't have the power at that time" , Laporta later recalled.
"But they used us and in the end he signed for Madrid. We met at Heathrow airport and signed a document saying that they would sell him to us if we reached an agreement with the 'agent.
"However, we didn't make it. We went to Nice and stayed with him and he said he would think about it. We got tired of waiting for an answer, so we signed Ronaldinho instead."
It worked out well for them, didn't it?
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