When Deco went to sign Marcus Rashford on a permanent deal, Manchester United demanded €30 million. Deco refused because he wanted to complete the deal for €25 million, and the transfer eventually collapsed.
He then moved for Karim Adeyemi for just €22 million. Adeyemi is four years younger, significantly better in the press, more tactically disciplined, one of the fastest players in world football, and he quickly integrated into the squad to become an important player for Flick.
Exactly one month later, Deco decided to sell Ferran Torres, who had refused to continue at Barcelona and had only one year remaining on his contract. Despite that, Deco managed to sell him to PSG for €50 million, before bringing in Gabriel Jesus for just €10 million as his replacement.
So, in total, Deco signed two quality replacements and added real squad depth for only €32 million, with wages that are practically negligible.
An incredible piece of work. 👏🏻❤️💙