Barcelona could have to spend north of €100 million ($106.37 million) to permanently sign Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo next summer, Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo has reported.
The Spanish champions signed Felix and Cancelo on loan from Atletico Madrid and Manchester City, respectively. Barca, who have seen their salary limit reduced from €648 million ($689.31 million) to €270 million ($287.21 million) by La Liga, took their time to register the Portuguese pair. According to sources, their paperwork went through just before the summer transfer window closed for La Liga clubs on September 1.
Barcelona Could Have To Pay A Fortune To Sign Felix & Cancelo
Both Felix and Cancelo have enjoyed a stellar start to their Barcelona career. The former has emerged as the Blaugrana’s most effective forward, scoring thrice and claiming an assist in three games across competitions. Meanwhile, Cancelo has added flair to the right side of Barca’s four-man backline, bombarding forward every chance he gets. He, too, has opened his account for the Catalans, scoring once in three matches.
According to Mundo Deportivo, Barca have taken note of their explosive start to life at Camp Nou and could consider keeping them at the club beyond the 2023-24 season. However, signing them permanently will not be easy, as Atletico and Man City could demand sizable fees for the pair.
As per the aforementioned report, Atletico Madrid could ask Barcelona to pay €80 million ($85.10 million) for the 23-year-old attacker. European champions Manchester City, on the other hand, could demand €25 million ($26.59 million) for the 28-year-old fullback.
Barcelona Currently Cannot Afford The Portuguese Pair
Even if they continue to perform as well as they have thus far, Felix and Cancelo are unlikely to join Barcelona in a permanent deal next summer. Not unless Atletico and City agree to significantly lower their demands.
According to Football Espana, Barcelona could see their spending power halved next summer since they are currently well above their salary limit ($429.68 million vs. $287.21 million). This means that they would have to generate around €210 million ($223.35 million) to be able to spend the required €105 million ($111.67 million) on Felix and Cancelo. This calculation is done without taking Vitor Roque’s €61 million ($64.88 million) fee into account.
So, unless Felix and Cancelo force their way out of their respective clubs at the end of their loan spell at Barca, they are unlikely to extend their Barcelona spell.
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