Felix and Cancelo leave Barca for now, but negotiations continue

 

Portuguese national team forward Joao Felix (24) and Portuguese national team defender Joao Cancelo (30) will leave Barcelona for the time being. Barcelona announced on the 30th that the two players, who had joined the club on one-year loan from Atletico Madrid and Manchester City, would be leaving the club at the end of their loan periods, saying, "Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo will not remain with FC Barcelona. 

The loan contracts of the two Portuguese players have also ended and they will return to their respective clubs." Felix, whose relationship with Atletico has completely broken down, joined the Blaugrana on a season-long loan last summer. 

He scored 10 goals and provided 6 assists in 44 official matches, but his performance was noticeably inconsistent throughout the season. Meanwhile, Cancelo, who was not considered part of City's plans, also joined the club on a season-long loan last summer. He played mostly as a left or right fullback and played almost full-time, scoring 4 goals and providing 5 assists in 42 official matches. However, while they showed their presence on the offensive side, they left holes in their defense in the Champions League and other big matches, and their evaluation at the end of the season was not good. 

With new manager Hansi Flick leading the team from the new season, president Joan Laporta and other executives want to keep the two players, but the hurdle of buying either of them on a permanent transfer is high, so they have given up on buying them at the current stage.

 However, according to Fabrizio Romano, who is familiar with the transfer market, the door to both players remaining in Catalonia is not completely closed, and they will continue to talk with their agents Jorge Mendes and both Atletico and City, including the possibility of extending their loan periods.