Barcelona thankful they didn't sign €100m star following emergence of La Masia duo: Reports

Barcelona are reportedly delighted to have missed out on Newcastle United star Bruno Guimaraes this summer. The Catalan side believe their financial condition prevented the signing, but it worked in their favor as La Masia products were given chances.

According to SPORT, Marc Casado and Marc Bernal would not be playing for Barcelona if Guimaraes was signed as the replacement for Sergio Busquets. They were interested in the Newcastle United star in 2023 and 2024, but the €100 million asking price set by the Magpies blocked the move.

The club's financial crisis has been an issue, and they believe that the Brazilian star would have been signed if they were free to spend. The midfielder is now set to line up against Barcelona in the UEFA Champions League, when the two sides face off at St. James Park on Thursday, September 18.

However, the Catalan side will be without their key player, Lamine Yamal. Notably, Hansi Flick was furious with the Spanish national team as they forced the teenager to play with painkillers during the recent international break. He said:

"Lamine goes to the national team with pain, didn't train [and] had painkillers to play. They were three goals ahead in every match and he played 79 and 73 minutes. Between the matches, he didn't train. This is not taking care of players. Spain have the best team in the world, in every position they are unbelievably good. I am really sad about this.

"I never really spoke with (Luis De la Fuente, Spain manager). Maybe my Spanish is not good, his English is not good, so this is a problem. Normally, the communication, because we have more players there than just Lamine, could be better. I was also on this side as a national team coach so I know how hard this job sometimes is, but the communication with the clubs was always good."

Barcelona's only defensive midfield signing over the last three seasons has been Oriol Romeu, while Ilkay Gundogan joined on a free transfer from Manchester City.

Barcelona manager looking forward to play in England

Barcelona manager Hansi Flick spoke to the media earlier this week, admitting he was delighted to play in England this season. He added that they have been keeping an eye on Newcastle United and said:

"Last season we didn't play in England, and now this is good for us. Newcastle's stadium is a beautiful stadium and I followed them last season. They're doing well. Their technical staff is performing well, and I'm looking forward to working with them."

Hansi Flick's side reached the UEFA Champions League semifinals last season, where Inter Milan defeated them.