Barcelona have removed two players from official player list – one of which they want to sign

In a recent development, Barcelona have made a notable change to their squad list on the official club website, removing Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix from the first-team roster. 

Up until Tuesday, August 20, the Portuguese players were still listed as part of the squad, but they have now been removed. 

While this update might not seem significant at first glance, it coincides with ongoing negotiations for Felix’s transfer to Chelsea, sparking further interest.

Chelsea close to securing Felix

It is said that Chelsea and Atletico Madrid have reached an agreement that involves the transfer of Connor Gallagher to the Spanish capital and Felix to London. 

This sequence of events adds more intrigue to the sudden disappearance of Cancelo and Felix from Barcelona’s website, especially considering their loan deals ended on June 30.

Cancelo’s situation, however, is still up in the air. While he has been removed from Barcelona’s online squad, there is still a slim chance he could return to the club. 

Cancelo’s deal is complicated

Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix have been removed from Barcelona’s official website. (Photo by JOSEP LAGO/AFP via Getty Images)

Manchester City, his parent club, have not completely ruled out the possibility, but the situation is complicated.

This is because City are not interested in a simple loan deal and the player himself is reluctant to take another pay cut, which makes a return to Barcelona difficult.

There was some talk of a potential swap deal involving Cancelo and Ilkay Gundogan, but City have decided not to pursue that option as well, which makes his future even more uncertain.

Interestingly, while Cancelo and Felix have been removed from the squad list, other players’ statuses remain unclear. 

For instance, Dani Olmo, who has been linked with Barcelona, is not yet included in the list of players on the website. On the other hand, Pau Víctor, a player who is expected to have a minor role, is listed with the number 18 jersey.

This series of updates from Barcelona adds to the speculation surrounding the club’s transfer activities and future squad planning.

With the summer transfer window still open, it will be interesting to see how these situations develop and whether Cancelo will be making a return, or if his removal from the website is a sign of permanent departure.