Deco chose not to re-sign former Barcelona winger last summer in €22 million deal | OneFootball

Former Barcelona winger Francisco Trincao is absolutely thriving at Sporting CP this season, attracting serious interest from top clubs in Europe.

It could prove to be financially beneficial for Barça as they still have a 50% sell-on clause for the Portuguese international.

However, the Blaugrana themselves had a chance to bring him back to the club after parting ways with him in 2022, but decided against it.

Deco decided against Trincao return

Indeed, according to SPORT, Barcelona were offered the opportunity to re-sign Trincao for €22 million during the summer transfer window last year. However, given the club’s tricky economic situation, they decided against his return.

Trincao joined Barça in 2020 from SC Braga, in what was a challenging time for the club, both financially and on the pitch.

Barça decided against Trincao’s return last year. (Photo by Maja Hitij/Getty Images)

Under Ronald Koeman, the team struggled, and the young Portuguese winger failed to fully adapt despite showing flashes of potential.

Barcelona eventually loaned Trincao out – first to Wolverhampton Wanderers in 2021, where his agent Jorge Mendes played a key role, and later to Sporting CP in 2022 with a mandatory purchase option.

With the 24-year-old thriving in Portugal, Last summer, Mendes proposed bringing him back to Barça, who had a buy-back clause for €22 million.

However, with the club already struggling to register new signings Dani Olmo and Pau Victor, Deco decided to close the door on Trincao. That buy-back option expired in 2024, leaving Barcelona with no further chance to repurchase him.

Now, the La Liga leaders are hoping to profit from a potential sale this summer, with Trincao attracting strong interest from Manchester United in the Premier League.