For Barcelona, the summer transfer window will provide a great opportunity to reflect and readjust. The Catalan giants do not necessarily have the most balanced squad right now, but they hope to change that. With a better grasp of their situation, Barcelona believe they can set things right.
However, that does not mean that all current players should not be part of that planning. In fact, many of the ‘signings’ that the team will make will possibly be of players they already own or temporarily own for a specific period of time instead.
Two of those players just so happen to be compatriots from Portugal, and also share the same agent. As pointed out by Mundo Deportivo, Joan Laporta’s recent exclusive interview with MD revealed much about the continuity of certain stars.
The two stars who were hinted at previously were obviously discussed. Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo, two of Portugal’s finest, are currently on loan at Barcelona and their future is not exactly guaranteed for now.
However, at least for the Barcelona president, the hopes that both of them end up continuing are strong, although he does wish for some lack of resistance: “I think they will continue. I hope that Atlético de Madrid does not put any obstacles to Joao Félix continuing with us, and I believe that City will not either.”
“We have an agent there, Jorge Mendes, who is working on the matter and knows our intention to continue with the players. What I cannot specify now, because it will depend a lot on the amounts, is whether we are going to sign them or we are going to extend the loan. It will probably be an extension of the loan, already setting a price.”
He was then asked with a follow-up question related to another Jorge Mendes client, the same agent who deals with both Cancelo and Felix as well, and asked him his opinion. This time around, the main subject of the question was Ansu Fati:
“Bojan is following Ansu. You all know that Bojan, apart from dealing with the players who come from the youth academy and are in the dynamics of the first team but have not yet debuted but do train with them, is also in charge of the players we have on loan.”
“He goes to see them, talks to them, sees how they are doing. Araujo in Las Palmas, Ansu Fati, Lenglet… There are a series of players he is following.”
“Ansu had the injury, he has recovered, he has gone through a series of vicissitudes, and we will see at the end of the season what will happen. In principle, he has to return by contract, but we will see, we will see.”
It is quite clear to see that the Barcelona president does seem to have certain priorities with these statements. The confidence behind the answer regarding the continuity of the Portuguese duo was far more believable than the rather blank response in terms of Fati’s potential return.
Both Manchester City and Atletico Madrid will have to be negotiated with, but Barcelona are open to listening and offering their position. Fati’s return, on the other hand, is going to be as per the current contract which sees him return to Barcelona after the end of his season with Brighton.
