Barcelona were already working on the Trincao deal when Setien arrived

The newly appointed Barcelona head coach Quique Setien has revealed that he had nothing to do with the signing of Francisco Trincao from Sporting Braga, who will join that La Liga champions in the summer for €31 million. The deal was being agreed even before his arrival.

The Catalan club are facing a transition period as several of their biggest stars enter the final stages of their respective careers. Lionel Messi, Luis Suarez, Sergio Busquets, Gerard Pique, Ivan Rakitic, Jordi Alba and Arturo Vidal have all passed their 30th birthdays now, and Barcelona are forced to recognize that the players who have brought them so much success and glory in recent years cannot go on playing forever.

They appear to be aiming to make the transition as smooth as possible by constantly looking out for young talent, players that could potentially be made ready soon to carry the torch through the next era. One of those spotted in that search is Trincao, and it seems the 20-year-old Portuguese forward, primarily a right winger but fully capable of playing anywhere across the front line, was on their radar for a long time.