Barcelona had shown interest in Manchester United youngster Sekou Koné, according to a ‘confidential’ report from Thursday’s edition of Sport.
The Red Devils completed the signing of the 19-year-old from Malian side Guidars FC on last summer deadline day.
Barcelona had looked at Koné and were keen on signing him before he joined Manchester United.
Barcelona sporting director Deco isn’t looking to sign a physical pivot for the first team in the summer window. It’s no longer considered a priority position due to their finances and the development of existing players.
That doesn’t mean Deco would rule out bringing in a physical midfielder for the academy. The youth team coaches are attentive of this profile, and the financial aspect of the operation remains a concern for the La Liga giants.
The newspaper states: ‘The problem is that some of the targets required small financial compensation and have already escaped months ago.’
This was the case with Koné and Barca’s failure would have made it easier for Manchester United to sign him.
The Malian has represented Manchester United’s U19 and U21s and has already trained with the senior team. Ruben Amorim included Koné in the squad thrice this season, but he’s yet to make his first team debut.
Barcelona are disappointed to have missed out on a young talent like Koné.
On December 27th, the youngster revealed he couldn’t turn down Manchester United after they made a “big offer” for him.
