Barcelona director Deco talks Araujo, Gavi, Joao Felix, Cancelo

Ahead of a busy summer, Barcelona sporting director Deco provided some crucial updates on the future of some of the star players while offering his thoughts on Xavi Hernandez’s exit from Camp Nou at the end of the season.

Deco talked at length about Xavi, in particular, notably leaving the door open for the Spaniard to prolong his stay at the club.

Deco on the future of key Barcelona stars

But apart from Barcelona’s managerial conundrum, Deco was also asked about the future of Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo, with both keen on extending their spell at Camp Nou.

“Will Cancelo and Joao Félix continue? If the situation turns out like last season, Joao Cancelo and Joao Félix are players we want to keep,” Deco pointed out (h/t Que T’hi Jugues).

Barcelona are exploring the prospect of signing Cancelo on a permanent deal. His star agent Jorge Mendes, in particular, could play a crucial role in this regard.

Joao Felix, on the other hand, faces a more precarious situation, with Barcelona not entirely keen on exploring a permanent deal for the Portuguese international.

Cancelo, Felix face an uncertain future at Barcelona (Photo by David Ramos/Getty Images)

Deco also talked about the future of Ronald Araujo, revealing that Barcelona are ready to offer him a new contract.

“Araujo will renew, if he wants. We will make an effort because he deserves it. The club’s effort is to keep what we have,” he said.

The Barcelona sporting director also lamented the absence of key midfielder Gavi, who has been out since November due to an ACL injury.

“Gavi’s injury has been the most complicated. It has been difficult for us to find balance without him. It is not just the soul and leadership he has.”

Finally, the Brazilian was asked about players who may feature in both Euro 2024 and Olympics this summer. He added that Barcelona are not in favour of playing two competitions in the same summer.

“As a club, we don’t want it to happen. The RFEF knows our idea, but we have to talk to the players. We will try to make sure it doesn’t happen,” he concluded.