"He lacks consistency" - Former Barcelona star asks club to snub move for Luis Diaz and sign Manchester United man instead
Former Barcelona player Bojan Krkic has urged the Catalan giants to opt against signing Liverpool winger Luis Diaz, questioning the Colombian’s consistency and suitability for the club’s style. Instead, Bojan has recommended that Barcelona turn their attention to Manchester United forward Marcus Rashford, whom he believes offers more versatility and a higher overall impact.
The summer transfer window is on the horizon, and a high-flying Hansi Flick’s Barcelona will be keen to strengthen their squad ahead of next season. Their current striker, Robert Lewandowski, is aging, and getting a replacement for him is really important. Diaz and Rashford are two of the players who have been linked with a move to the Catalan club.
The latter was tipped to join La Blaugrana in the January transfer window amid his lack of game time at Manchester United, but he ended up joining Aston Villa on loan. Diaz, however, was reported to be a top target for Barcelona in February.
Speaking to Spanish outlet Cadena SER, he acknowledged Diaz’s footballing abilities but was critical of his lack of consistency and advised his former side to sign Rashford instead. He said:
"Luis Diaz is a great player but he lacks consistency in performance. If I were at Barca, I wouldn't sign him. He's a player who works wonders for you and then disappears for three games. Or he gives you a brutal half-hour and disappears.. I'd sign [Marcus] Rashford before Luis Diaz. He gives me the option to play as a number nine."
Diaz has scored 17 goals and provided eight assists for Liverpool this season in 48 appearances across competitions. Rashford has scored 11 goals and provided nine assists this season. Meanwhile, barely more than half of his goal contributions have come during his time at Villa.
Barcelona enter race with Manchester United for LaLiga star – Reports
Barcelona are reportedly in contention with Manchester United for the signature of Espanyol goalkeeper Joan Garcia. The Red Devils were the first to be linked with a move for the Spanish goalie, as they’ve struggled to find consistency in their goalkeeping department this season.
Garcia, who grew through the ranks at Espanyol, has seen his stock rise at the Catalonia-based club. He has played every league game for the club this season, racking up 3,240 minutes of play.
Reports emerged in March that Manchester United's second-choice goalkeeper, Altay Bayindir, is expected to leave the club this summer. Third-choice goalie Tom Heaton was also reliably tipped for an exit.
Amid the uncertainty surrounding the futures of reserve goalkeepers at Old Trafford, United continues to be linked with a move for Garcia.
However, as per Diario AS, Barcelona have now joined the fray for Joan Garcia. The 24-year-old is the goalkeeper with the most saves (140) in LaLiga this season and the second in all of Europe, only behind Brentford’s Mark Flekken, who has 144.
Whoever will secure the services of Garcia will cough up a few bucks. The report adds that a release clause is €25 million on his deal, which could increase to €30 million. Garcia has made seven clean sheets for Espanyol in 36 appearances this season.
