Barcelona “lost the opportunity” to sign Marco Asensio before the winger completed a move to rivals Real Madrid, the player’s agent has revealed. Asensio followed up his brilliant late goal in Sunday’s Spanish Super Cup first leg with a stunning effort from 30 yards as Real beat Barca 5-1 on aggregate to win the title for a 10th time.
Incredibly, Asensio’s goal in the first leg of the Spanish Super Cup means he has now scored on his debut in every competition for the club. And his agent Horacio Gaggioli has confirmed that Barcelona missed the chance to sign the star for a reported €4.5m.
Barca moved in to sign him from his former club Real Mallorca. They bid €2.5 million for him (with an extra €2 million if he played in the first division). Mallorca insisted on €4.5 million up front. “Barca said, ‘No, we’re not able.’ They lost the opportunity,” says Gaggioli. “When they changed their mind after three months, it was too late.” Real Madrid had stepped into the breach. And now the star player is set to haunt the whole of Spain and Europe, with Barcelona regrettably having the first taste.
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