Barcelona have exercised their buy-back option for Spanish winger Gerard Deulofeu and are looking to bring him back to the Camp Nou for a £10 million fee, but according to the Mail, the player has rejected the move.
Deulofeu was originally sold by the Spanish giants to Everton in 2015 after a successful loan spell with the Toffees in 2013, but the young Spaniard failed to nail down a starting spot on his return to the Merseyside club.
The 23-year-old has since re-grabbed the attention of his boyhood club after delivering impressive performances during his loan spell at AC Milan this past season and currently in the Under-21 European Championships.
The crux in this potential reunion lies in Deulofeu’s desire to make Spain’s World Cup squad next summer.
The fleet-footed winger knows he needs to be playing regular first-team football to break into a squad filled to the brim with attacking talent, and he is reportedly fully aware he would not find such a chance with the likes of Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, and Neymar leading the Barcelona front-line.
Mundo Deportivo have reported that the Catalan giants have been notified of Deulofeu’s reluctance to return to Barcelona and they have until Friday to persuade the youngster to re-join as their buy-back option expires at the end of June.
