Cadena Ser reported that the option of signing Trent Alexander-Arnold was on the table for Barcelona’s management, but it was ultimately rejected.
Arnold is now on the verge of a move to Real Madrid after agreeing on all the details. All that remains is to sign a five-year contract with the club.
According to the report, Barcelona negotiated with Arnold during Jordi Cruyff’s tenure and at the request of Xavi Hernandez, before backing out due to the economic crisis at the time.
In recent months, Deco contacted Arnold’s representatives again to discuss the possibility of joining him, before the Portuguese decided to withdraw from the deal completely.
The decision of the Blaugrana’s sporting director was based on two reasons: the high salary the England international is seeking, and the fact that Jules Kounde has proven his capabilities at right-back, and there is practically no need for Arnold’s services.
Barcelona is currently looking for a right-back who will compete with Kounde and is leaning toward signing Jérémy Frimpong from Bayer Leverkusen.
If Barça were to go for Arnold, it would fall under La Liga’s Financial Fair Play regulations due to the player’s high salary and transfer bonus. This all led Barça to withdraw from the deal altogether.
