Barcelona chief Deco reveals club ´like´ Diaz and Rashford

Barcelona sporting director Deco has expressed the club’s liking of Manchester United’s Marcus Rashford and Liverpool’s Luis Diaz.

Diaz has recently been linked with a move to the LaLiga champions, having played a crucial role in Liverpool’s Premier League title success under Arne Slot this season.

Rashford, who spent the second half of the season on loan at Aston Villa, is also attracting interest from the Catalan club, after impressing under Unai Emery.

Colombia international Diaz has registered 17 goals and five assists in 49 appearances across all competitions this campaign.

Indeed, only Mohamed Salah (46) has more goal contributions in the Premier League this season for Liverpool than Diaz (18).

Rashford, meanwhile, enjoyed a productive spell in the West Midlands, netting four goals and providing a further five assists in 17 games across all competitions.

Diaz has two years left on his current Liverpool deal, while Rashford is reportedly available for around £40million after falling out of favour under Ruben Amorim.

“We like Luis [Diaz], we like [Marcus] Rashford, and we like other players,” Deco told Catalan radio station RAC1, external.

“When we go to the market, there are names that we know and that could improve the team.”

Barcelona are keen to build on their domestic treble next season, having also lifted the Copa del Rey and Supercopa de Espana as well as the league title.

The Blaugrana confirmed that they had extended manager Hansi Flick’s contract until 2027, with the German originally appointed on a two-year deal in May 2024.

Along with signing a new winger, Deco added that the club’s priority is tying some of the stars from this season to new deals, including Lamine Yamal.

“Our big priority is to strengthen what we have at home with the renewals of Pedri, Gavi, [Ronald] Araujo, Raphinha, [Jules] Kounde,” added the former Chelsea midfielder.

“I understand that when people talk about signings, they always think about players coming from abroad, but for me, renewals are also signings. Lamine [renewing] is the best signing in history.

“Then, if the team can be improved. From what we’ve seen this season, we need a player with a different profile to what we have to help the strikers.

“Fermin [Lopez] has played as a winger and has done well. The composition of the squad also depends on the market.”