In spite of the difficult economic conditions faced by the club, FC Barcelona were able to significantly strengthen their team in the last summer transfer window.
The Catalans signed Ilkay Gundogan for free as his Manchester City contract had ended, and also got Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo on free loans from Atletico Madrid and Manchester City respectively.
All these players have become crucial for the Catalan club this season. While Gundogan’s future at Barcelona seems secure, the same cannot be said for the other two players.
In this regard, a meeting took place between the agent of these players, Jorge Mendes, and the Barcelona President, Joan Laporta. According to Mundo Deportivo, an action plan for retaining these two players was arrived at in this meeting.
As the club’s FFP limits are not yet known, all the options are alive for Barcelona. However, the route that looks to be the best suited for Barcelona is that of another loan for the duo.
President Joan Laporta has made it publicly clear that he wants to retain both Cancelo and Felix and even sign them permanently if the club’s economic situation allows.
However, the finances can force the club to adopt another temporary solution and get the duo again on a loan, especially as the prices quoted by the clubs of these players are very high.
There have been reports claiming that Manchester City will ask for €30 million for Cancelo, and Atletico can demand up to €80 million for Felix.
Meanwhile, Barcelona enjoys the advantage of the fact that none of these players is willing to return to their parent clubs. Felix has a contract till 2029 with Atletico while Cancelo’s contract with City goes till 2027, but both the clubs, especially City, are open to parting permanently with these assets.