Portuguese attacker refused move to Barcelona because of playing time | OneFootball

Goncalo Guedes was one of the first names to be linked with a transfer to Barcelona in the recently concluded winter transfer market. Fresh from the blow of Memphis Depay’s departure, the Catalans were in the hunt for a replacement and the Portuguese International appealed to them as a strong possibility.

A six-month loan move with a purchase clause at the end of the season was proposed and pursued. However, talks quickly fell apart and the player drifted far from Spotify Camp Nou.

According to reports from SPORT, Guedes wanted to have regular minutes under his belt to revive his career which had seen a downward spiral in recent years. It was for that reason that he chose a move to Benfica over Barcelona.

The Portuguese side signed the 26-year-old on a six-month loan, similar to the offer proposed by Barcelona. However, there was no purchase clause attached to the contract.

The winger endured a difficult start to his 2022-23 campaign with Wolverhampton Wanderers, playing 13 games and scoring just one goal in that duration. In addition, he managed one assist and averaged less than a key pass per game.

Since his return to Benfica, he has made three appearances for the club and has already equalled his G+A tally from the first half of the season. Guedes has also created two big chances in his impressive return to Liga Portugal.

Nevertheless, Barcelona did not sign any replacement for Memphis Depay in January and Xavi will look to retain his faith in the duo of Ferran Torres and Ansu Fati. After the recent injury to Ousmane Dembele, however, one wonders whether Barcelona’s decision to part ways with the Dutchman was justified.