Former Barcelona head coach Xavi Hernández has revealed that he pushed hard for the club to bring in a member of the attacking ranks at Premier League champions Liverpool.
The player in question? Luis Díaz.
Winger Díaz was of course hotly tipped for a move to Catalunya’s capital this past summer.
This came after the Colombian was earmarked as the ideal profile to reinforce the wide areas in Hansi Flick’s squad.
In the end, Díaz joined Bayern Munich, with Barcelona having therefore settled for Marcus Rashford.
As alluded to above, though, Hansi Flick is not the only Blaugrana manager to have been keen to see the former Porto man plying his club trade in Catalunya’s capital.
Speaking during an interview with Gol Caracol, as cited by Marca, late this week, ex-Barca headmaster Xavi confirmed that he desperately wanted Díaz in his squad.
The Spaniard labelled the 28-year-old “a world-class footballer, capable of making a difference, a winger with blazing speed, a goal-scorer and an assist-maker, and a hard worker.”
Xavi concluded, though, that “the financial situation was what it was. It was very difficult for us at the time”.
Conor Laird – GSFN
