'Liverpool were pretty tough from the first minute, refusing to sell him - the move turned out to be impossible' Barcelona director reveals summer talks with Reds to sign superstar

Liverpool were in talks with Barcelona over the summer to sell one of their star players.

That's according to Barça chief Deco, who has lifted the lid on a failed coup from the Catalans during a frenetic window in which Liverpool broke their transfer record twice.

In the end, Barcelona had to look elsewhere to get their man – but things could have been very different if the Reds were a little more accommodating.

Liverpool were in talks with Barcelona to sell star forward - but the move never materialised

Liverpool spent well over £400 million on a squad that had already brought the title back to Anfield last term but such free-spending was boosted by sales of almost £200m.

Now, Camp Nou director Deco has revealed in an interview with Mundo Deportivo in Spain, via Sport Witness, that Barcelona had their heart set on one of Arne Slot's title winners – but ended up having to pivot and sign another Premier League player on loan when the move didn't happen.

“Looking at last season’s squad, we were missing something there,” Deco said. “We thought Ansu would fill that role. He started preseason well, but then things didn’t go his way, and he also suffered injuries that made things very difficult for him.

“He could play on the left wing and as a no.9, providing those solutions. But we lacked that profile in the squad.”

The La Liga winners opted to move for Luis Diaz – long linked with Catalonia – but had to settle for Marcus Rashford on loan, with the Manchester United star hitting the ground running in Spain.

“Liverpool were pretty tough from the first minute, refusing to sell him,” Deco continued. “It’s even more complicated that way, just like if they come to us and we don’t want to put a player on the market.

“Luis’s move, it turned out, would be impossible.

“These are market factors, but there’s no such thing as a plan A, B, or C, although the press thinks it’s normal. When we analyse the players, we know what they can contribute.

“From there, the negotiations will lead you to get what you’re looking for, or not, but the profile was defined.”

Ultimately, Diaz opted to move to Bayern Munich instead, where he has begun his career in Bavaria with four goals in his first eight matches.

Liverpool, Barcelona and Bayern are all back in Champions League action this week.