Barcelona activate YET ANOTHER LEVER to force through Cancelo, Felix transfers

Stuart Telford

• 31 Aug 2023 16:48 BST
• 3 min read

Barcelona are scrambling to sign Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix before the end of the transfer window, pushing for yet another 'financial lever' and dropping a clause in the former's deal from Manchester City.

La Liga told Barca to reduce their debt by €200 million before the summer 2023 transfer window opened, and they have raised nearly half of that in players sales, with Ousmane Dembele fetching the most with his €50m move to Paris Saint-Germain.

But there is still work to be done on the playing side, and having spent just €3.4m on bring Oriol Romeu back to the club from Girona - Ilkay Gundogan and Inigo Martinez were free transfers from Manchester City and Athletic Bilbao respectively - Cancelo and Felix figure to cost a lot more.

READ: Barcelona's Joao Cancelo transfer NIGHTMARE

Both could arrive on loan at first, with bigger fees paid later to make their stays permanent, but even that kind of deal for the Portuguese pair is dependent on a personal guarantee from Barca president Joan Laporta.

Laporta's €20m guarantee

"Barcelona have already sent La Liga the guarantee of some €20m from the president, underwritten by Banco Sabadell," reports Sport's David Bernabeu. "La Liga demanded that Barca's guarantee was signed by a Spanish entity, hence Banco Sabadell re-entered the picture."

As well as that, the clause in Cancelo's contract making his stay at Camp Nou permanent for €30m at the end of the season has been dropped - removing an obligation even if Barca intend to extend his stay beyond 2023/24.

READ: Revealed: Real Madrid a better fit for Joao Felix than Barcelona or Liverpool

If La Liga sign off on the latest agreement, Cancelo should be a Barcelona player before the end of the transfer window.

Cancelo's Portugal international teammate Felix will be watching with interest. He has been frozen out at Atletico Madrid, with Antoine Griezmann taking his No.7 shirt, and told Fabrizio Romano recently that "Barcelona has always been my first choice, I'd love to join Barca."