Report – The reason Barcelona missed out on signing former academy star
Jan Virigili’s move to Club Brugge was one of the more surprising moves of the summer transfer window, for the player has been one of the most highly rated young wingers in Spain and he opted to lea...
The story of Barcelona's failed attempt to sign former academy star Jan Virgili from Club Brugge has some surprising twists. Virgili, widely regarded as one of Spain's top young wingers, opted to leave Europe's elite leagues last season when Mallorca suffered relegation. The Catalan giants, who were reportedly interested in re-signing the player, were even rumored to be in talks with his agents.
Barcelona were prepared to pay €7 million for Virgili's return, with Deco even meeting with his representatives in June. However, the interest shifted to a loan deal with Real Betis, who were willing to pay a share of his wages. Despite Barcelona's place in the UEFA Champions League, the transfer didn't materialize as Betis refused to meet Barcelona's wage demands.
With no updates from Barcelona, Club Brugge eventually swooped in, paying out Virgili's €12 million release clause, giving him a chance to leave Mallorca.
Written by urgent.news from Yahoo Sports's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
