The Reason Why Barcelona Moved Quickly to Seal €30m Francisco Trincao Deal

Barcelona’s €30m purchase of Braga striker Francisco Trincao would have cost the Catalans double had they had waited a few more weeks to complete the deal.

The 20-year-old – who has been with Braga since 2015 – completed his switch to Camp Nou last week and will ?join up with his new club next summer.

Having only recently earned a place in Os Arcebispos’ senior squad, the young striker impressed in 15 appearances in 2018/19, though none were starts, before collecting four goals and six assists in his 23 games this term.

ESPN’s Barcelona correspondent Moises Llorens has revealed on Twitter that the Catalans moved fast to put the finishing touches on a deal this January before his contractual release clause rose to €60m ‘in a weeks’, with La Blaugrana also fighting off several other European powerhouses to land the striker.

German giants ?Bayern Munich were in pursuit of Trincao, as were Italian champions ?Juventus, but Barça won the race for his signature, and it’s understood he will join up with the first team at Camp Nou when he arrives in the summer. His new Barcelona contract also contains a massive €500m release clause, signalling just how highly he is rated by his new club.

Braga aren’t the only ones who profited from Trincao’s sale. Super-agent Jorge Mendes helped broker the deal between Barcelona and Braga, which earned him a €7m paycheck for his services, according to journalist Tariq Panja on Twitter.

Catching the eye in Europe this season, Trincao scored and assisted during Braga’s Europa League meeting with Slovan Bratislava back in December, while he made cameos in three other fixtures, including the 3-2 away win at Wolverhampton Wanderers. 

The imminent arrival of Trincao has cast doubt over the long-term future of Luis Suarez in Catalonia. The Uruguayan underwent knee surgery in January, potentially ruling him out for to the end of the campaign. It is expected that ?Barça will also consider a move for Inter forward Lautaro Martinez this summer.

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