Barcelona are set to be tight for money again this summer if their salary limit this year is anything to go by. Their current situation is that they are €130m over their permitted limit, while they have already confirmed the signing of Vitor Roque, which could rise to €61m. However President Joan Laporta has declared that Sporting Director Deco is working on two more costly signings.
At the turn of the year there were a number of reports that Barcelona were starting to wonder if they might not pursue Joao Felix’s signature next summer, as the Atletico Madrid loanee struggles to impact games. Manchester City loanee Joao Cancelo has been more consistent since he arrived, but at 29, is still likely to cost a sizeable fee.
Barcelona had said at the start of the season that they would try to sign them both in the summer, but amid those doubts, agent Jorge Mendes, who represents both, said they would do so last month. During an interview with RAC1, Laporta confirmed that was the case.
“Yes, Deco is working on it, he is working to that end.”
Laporta: "We are waiting for Bergvall to accept. It seems to me t hat he has not signed for Tottenham yet."
— barcacentre (@barcacentre) February 2, 2024
Meanwhile sales are also likely to be a topic of conversation this summer for Barcelona, as they try to escape another summer of belt-tightening. However Laporta would not be drawn on any players that would be kept at all costs.
“Today, they are all non-transferable. At the end of the season, we will see, but today they are all non-transferable, we are not giving up La Liga, and we want to fight for the Champions League.”
With Atletico Madrid desperate to move Felix on, and his performances unlikely to attract too much interest from other big sides in Europe. If Felix is not open to a move to Saudi Arabia, then Barcelona may well have a good chance of loaning Felix in on another cut-price deal, save for a suitable suitor emerging. With Cancelo, they would likely be relying on the Portuguese defender digging his heels in over a return to Catalonia.
