Barcelona are reportedly considering alternatives to Nico Williams out wide, with the 22-year-old set to remain at Athletic Club this summer. Several names have been mentioned, but veteran Ivan Perisic will not be arriving.
After it became clear that Williams would remain in Bilbao, Bayern Munich’s Kingsley Coman, LiIverpool’s Luis Diaz, and AC Milan’s Rafael Leao were mentioned as potential options to Barcelona’s liking. The former seems the only likely option though, as he will be allowed to leave on loan, with the other pair requiring a large transfer fee.
As a result of a falling out with Gennaro Gattuso just months after joining Hajduk Split, Perisic has agreed to rescind his contract with the club, and is now free agent, and an option for sides late in the transfer market.
Ig story Gavi. pic.twitter.com/SOWnDlZBlt
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) August 13, 2024
Some reports had claimed that new Barcelona manager Hansi Flick, who knows Perisic from his time at Bayern Munich, had called Perisic over a potential move. However Dalmatinski in Croatia say that this is not the case, but rather it was Sevilla who had showed interest in the 35-year-old.
It remains to be seen whether Los Nervionenses will revive their interest. They signed Chidera Ejuke on the left wing on a free transfer this summer, and also have Lucas Ocampos, Suso and Dodi Lukebakio out wide, but Perisic is seemingly keen on a move to La Liga, having never played in Spain. While he never ended up playing for Sochaux, he has lived in the countries of all of the top five leagues apart from Spain.
