Iniesta names his ‘special’ signing for Barcelona

Barcelona can no longer dream of making marquee signings to their setup given their financial condition. The story, however, was better even a few years ago.

It was not too long ago that the club made headlines for pulling off the signing of Ousmane Dembele and Phillipe Coutinho, both of whom did not leave a legacy in Catalonia.

The likes of Antoine Griezmann and Frenkie de Jong are just some of the others the Blaugranas signed as marquee names.

It is thus natural for one to wonder how matters would have panned out had a different player been selected as the team’s ‘big-name’ signing.

Iniesta makes a big claim

Speaking on Vamos La Liga podcast, club legend Andres Iniesta revealed the player he felt could have made a ‘special’ difference at Barcelona had a transfer been pulled off

“Signing Mohamed Salah would have been a special deal for Barcelona.”

Iniesta would have loved to see Salah at Barcelona. (Photo by Alex Pantling/Getty Images)

Indeed, the Catalan giants were interested in securing the Liverpool star’s services two years ago as a replacement for Lionel Messi.

Seen as a player who operates in a similar niche to the Argentine talisman, many in the administration deemed him to be the future of the club.

As it turned out, however, the Egyptian superstar never left Anfield. Last season, he scored 18 goals and provided ten assists for Jurgen Klopp’s side in the Premier League.

His contract with Liverpool runs out next summer and the arrival of a new manager leaves the door open. While highly improbable, Salah’s transfer this summer is not entirely impossible.

Door to Barcelona now shut

Salah is still indeed amongst the best in the world in his position. Although Barcelona are looking for a new winger to bolster their attack, the 31-year-old no longer sits as a viable option.

Playing as a right-winger, the veteran’s profile clashes with that of the team’s young sensation Lamine Yamal who is now an undisputed starter for the club.

Hansi Flick and Barcelona’s focus now, thus, is on signing a new and dynamic left-winger and names including Nico Williams and Xavi Simons have been considered. The coming weeks will be critical in giving direction to Barcelona’s pursuit of an attacker.