Two MAJOR deadline day deals break down for Barca

Martin Macdonald
Martin Macdonald
  • Updated: 31 Jan 2022 12:25 CST
  • 3 min read
Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang, Arsenal
© ProShots

Barcelona fans are having a frustrating transfer deadline day as news has now broken that two deals that were expected to happen are now dead.

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The Blaugrana were desperate for reinforcements in the January transfer window and have managed to bring in some new faces, with Adama Traore arriving from Wolves on loan and Ferran Torres being purchased from Manchester City for €65 million.

Xavi has asked the club for more though and a centre-forward and a left-back have emerged as the priorities.

On deadline day, Barcelona attempted to secure deals for Arsenal's Pierre-Emerick Aubameyang and Ajax's Nicolas Tagliafico.

However, journalists David Ornstein and Fabrizio Romano have now revealed that negotiations for those two transfers have broken down.

Why did Barcelona not sign Aubameyang?

Previously a fan favourite with the Gunners, Aubemyang was stripped of the captaincy earlier this season by manager Mikel Arteta.

The Gabon international was and still is a maverick, but his highlight reel has often been overshadowed by disciplinary problems.

And the latest problem will be the most costly, not just to Aubameyang himself but to Arsenal too.

After an incident believed to be involving timekeeping, Arteta made the decision to take the captaincy off the player, but also to exile from first-team training and matchday squads.

He has wages of £350,000 per week and Barcelona are not in a position to pay this amount, not even a significant portion.

It is Aubameyang's salary that has caused the move to Barca to break down.

The player himself is returning to London from a trip to Barcelona, though this was believed to be a family visit.

Why did Barcelona not sign Tagliafico?

Barcelona were hoping to bring in Tagliafico in January but are not able to afford a permanent transfer currently.

The proposition to Ajax was to sign Tagliafico on loan with the option to buy in the summer, but the Dutch giants have rejected this request.

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