Surprise! Deco travels to Croatia and knocks Marcus Rashford out with a €5M signing

The left winger position has been a real headache for Barça in recent years. Raphinha is the undisputed master of the area, yes, and he is performing at an extremely high level. However, Hansi Flick, since he arrived in Barcelona, has been insisting that he needed another player for the left flank.

The saga has dragged on much longer than expected, with two "betrayals" from Nico Williams in two consecutive summers. Also with the impossibility of making signings for the alternatives, such as Luis Díaz or Rafa Leao. All in all, last season no one arrived for the winger position and they trusted Ansu Fati, who did not even come close to delivering; and this year Marcus Rashford has arrived.

The Englishman does seem to be performing at a more than acceptable level since his arrival at Barça. He is on loan with a purchase option of about 30 million euros that Barça is considering executing if he keeps his good form until the end of the season. But they are also aware that Marcus Rashford is constantly immersed in a period of inconsistency; that is concerning.

If he keeps up this level, Barça will bring out the checkbook and the drama will be over. If not, Deco will have no choice but to turn to the market to find a footballer who really can be up to the task. In this line of thinking, according to Mundo Deportivo, a name that has been on Barça's list of future prospects for months is starting to gain importance.

Cardoso Varela is the chosen one by Deco to fill Marcus Rashford's role

Cardoso Varela was already mentioned last summer as a real option if none of the high-profile options were secured. In fact, he even did some trials a few years ago at Barça. What's more, he shares an agent with Dani Olmo and Joan García; Deco has an excellent relationship with him: they were seen meeting at a restaurant in Barcelona recently. 

Born in Luanda, Cardoso Varela is an international with Portugal's youth teams and is now starting to leave his mark in the Croatian league. He plays for Dinamo Zagreb and since this season he is already part of the first team. In these early stages of the season, he has had the opportunity to play 88 min. (88 minutos) spread over four different matches.

Cardoso Varela is a real gem and Dinamo Zagreb would ask for about five million euros, according to the aforementioned source. A future bet for Barça that, of course, if he doesn't arrive this summer because Marcus Rashford performs, will be mentioned again in future transfer windows. Deco has been actively working for some time to close the deal.

It is clear that Cardoso Varela is one of those players who seem made to play for Barça. In a few days he will turn 17 years old and he is already showing great things in Balkan soccer. Previously, he had also left a very good impression in Porto's youth teams, the club where he was developed.