Barcelona turned down opportunity to sign Real Madrid summer arrival over €25m asking price

Carlos Espi has become one of Real Madrid’s most talked-about young players, but Cadena SER has revealed that the striker could have ended up at Barcelona instead.

As per the outlet, Espi’s agent offered the forward to Barça during the summer transfer window. 

Barcelona recognised his quality, but the club ultimately decided against pursuing the deal because they did not want to spend €25 million on a player they did not see as a regular first-team option.

That decision now looks particularly interesting after Espi once again came to Real Madrid’s rescue, scoring the stoppage-time winner in the 3-2 victory over Elche on Tuesday.

Why Barcelona rejected Carlos Espi

Notably, Barcelona’s concern was not over Espi’s ability. Rather, the club questioned whether the €25m investment made sense for a striker who was unlikely to receive significant minutes under Hansi Flick.

Carlos Espi was offered to Barcelona before joining Real Madrid. (Photo by Francisco Macia/Getty Images)

As such, the profile Barcelona were seeking for their No. 9 position was different. 

With Julian Alvarez identified as the priority target and other forwards such as Lautaro Martinez and Viktor Gyokeres also linked, Espi was viewed as an option rather than the solution.

Cadena SER’s update makes clear that Barça felt spending €25m on a player who would not be a regular starter was difficult to justify.

That left Espi’s proposal off the table, despite the club’s positive assessment of the striker.

Barcelona chose Gabriel Jesus instead

Barcelona eventually followed a different route in the market, signing Gabriel Jesus from Arsenal for €10m plus add-ons.

Barcelona have put their faith in Hamza Abdelkarim. (Photo by Daniela Porcelli/Getty Images)

The club also had another lower-cost option internally. Hamza Abdulkarim, who arrived for €1.5m, was viewed as a player capable of fulfilling the alternative plan for the position without requiring a major financial commitment.

Espi, meanwhile, went to Real Madrid and has made his value clear.

The young striker produced another decisive moment for Jose Mourinho, following his late goal against Elche with the dramatic winner that secured all three points.

For what it is worth, the sequence does not automatically mean Barcelona made the wrong call. Instead, their decision was based on expected playing time, squad planning and the €25m asking price.