Details: How close Barcelona came to signing Federico Chiesa | OneFootball

An insight into just how close La Liga giants Barcelona came to striking a deal for then-Juventus star Federico Chiesa this summer has on Friday been provided.

The name of wide-man Chiesa of course positioned itself front and centre in the headlines in Catalunya’s capital over the last couple of weeks.

This came amid widespread claims that the Italian international was being considered as a last-minute addition on the part of the Camp Nou brass.

After coming up short in their pursuit of first-choice attacking target Nico Williams, Chiesa – ahead of the expiration of his Juventus contract next summer – was identified as a cut-price alternative.

In the end, however, the 26-year-old opted to sign elsewhere.

Chiesa this week put pen to paper on terms with Arne Slot’s Liverpool, securing for himself a four-year contract at Anfield.

So, just how close did Barcelona, then, actually come to bringing the versatile wide-man in?

As per a report from Diario Sport, quite close:

‘In the last few days of the transfer market, Barça were very close to closing the deal that would have seen Federico Chiesa wear the Blaugrana shirt. Negotiations reached an advanced stage, and a three-year contract was even agreed with the player.’

As has been the case time and time again for Barcelona over recent years, however, in the end, the club’s financial problems proved decisive once more.

Alongside the issues posed by registering Chiesa with La Liga, the Blaugrana’s offer to Juventus fell short.

The proposal in question was based around a guaranteed €10 million sum, but spread into payment terms spanning a full five years.

With the Bianconeri having been seeking a more immediate cash injection, Liverpool’s bid therefore represented the more attractive of the two.

Conor Laird | GSFN