Barcelona turned down chance to sign 24-year-old Newcastle United loanee | OneFootball

According to Mundo Deportivo, FC Barcelona were handed the opportunity to sign Nick Woltemade from Newcastle United in the summer, but the proposal arrived too late for the club to seriously consider the deal.

By the time the German forward was offered to Barça, the decision to bring in Gabriel Jesus had already been made. Woltemade was also beginning to look towards Serie A as he assessed his options.

Barcelona ultimately completed the signing of the Brazilian from Arsenal, while Woltemade left Newcastle for Juventus.

A little too late

According to the report, Woltemade was offered to Barcelona at a time when his future at Newcastle was uncertain. However, the possibility never progressed.

Woltemade was offered to Barcelona. (Photo by George Wood/Getty Images)

The 24-year-old striker had joined Newcastle from Stuttgart for €75 million after an outstanding season in the Bundesliga.

However, after a bright start in England, he suffered a decline in form and his prominence subsequently diminished, leading to him angling for a move away from St. James’ Park.

Borussia Dortmund and Atletico Madrid were among the clubs showing the strongest interest, before Juventus stepped up their pursuit in the final days of the window and reached an agreement to take the striker on loan until 30 June 2027.

Gabriel Jesus was already Barcelona-bound

However, Barcelona were also offered the chance to sign Woltemade, but by then, the Catalans had made significant progress on a deal for Gabriel Jesus.

Barcelona signed Gabriel Jesus from Arsenal. (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Indeed, by the time the Newcastle United loanee emerged as an option towards the end of last week of the summer window, the Brazilian was already on his way to Barcelona.

What’s more, Woltemade had not been among the Blaugrana’s leading options at the beginning of their search for a new striker, making it even less likely that the late proposal would alter Barcelona’s plans.

As such, the German has chosen Juventus in search of a more prominent role and the regular playing time he struggled to find at Newcastle.

As for Barcelona, having lost both Robert Lewandowski and Ferran Torres in the summer, Hansi Flick will be counting on Raphinha, Jesus, and youngster Hamza Abdelkarim as his options in the No. 9 role.