Barcelona chase £75m AC Milan star after Nico Williams pursuit comes to naught

The Blaugrana have been plagued by money troubles for some time and recently it’s been reported that they’re currently unable to register new signing Dani Olmo to play in La Liga due to financial rules. However, Mundo Deportivo has reported this morning that they haven’t finished their summer spending.

After a rumoured pursuit of Spanish star Nico Williams has come to nothing, Barcelona’s higher-ups are now apparently keen on recruiting Portuguese winger Rafael Leão.

Leão, 25, is a star in Serie A, having won the league title and helped reach the semi-finals of the Champions League with AC Milan. He recorded nine league goals last season and went on to represent Portugal at this summer’s European Championships.

It’s hoped that the relationship between Barcelona’s hierarchy and Leão’s representative, the super-agent Jorge Mendes, could help seal a deal - but the biggest obstacle is the state of the club’s finances.

Their major signing of the summer so far in Dani Olmo was far from cheap, coming in at around €60m, and as things stand it seems he can’t even register for them in La Liga unless they recover some cash. With Leão valued in the region of €90m (more than they were prepared to spend on Williams), some creative maths would be needed to make a deal feasible.

According to Mundo Deportivo, AC Milan may be interested in some of the players on Barcelona’s books - which could help lower the outright cost to the Catalan club. La Liga’s transfer window closes on August 30, leaving 10 days for a move to materialise.