Barcelona had deal in place for Getafe's Angel worth an initial €6 million
Setien wanted Braithwaite due to his versatility so the deal fell through
Barcelona had a deal in place with Getafe to sign striker Angel Rodriguez for an initial €6 million with €2m more due in potential add-ons.
The club reached an agreement with Angel over the weekend and he didn't overly celebrate his goal at Camp Nou as Barça beat Getafe 2-1 on Saturday.
But things have changed since then due to the Catalan club's interest in Leganes' Martin Braithwaite. A number of reasons have seen Barça switch targets, the main reason being coach Quique Setien's insistence on signing the Dane.
Setien feels Braithwaite is more versatile and will be more useful in the run in as Barça compete with Real Madrid for the La Liga title.
Angel is more of a No.9 and, now 32, it was unlikely Setien would have been able to use him wide. That was the main reason the coach pushed for the Leganes forward, who has an €18m release clause.
Another reason is that Angel's age would make it difficult for Barça. to see any return on their investment.
Topics with the letter
