Barcelona president explains why recent Chelsea signing was allowed to leave

Barcelona president Joan Laporta has spoken about the club’s decision to let both Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo leave this summer after their loan spells at the Nou Camp in 2023/24.

Barca had Felix on loan from Atletico Madrid and Cancelo on loan from Manchester City, with the latter now sold by the Premier League champions, joining Saudi Pro League side Al Hilal.

Felix, however, is now in England for a second spell at Chelsea, joining the Blues permanently this time after previously going on loan there for the second half of the 2022/23 season.

Some Barcelona fans might have been surprised that the club didn’t decide to keep the Portugal international as he had a decent impact in his relatively brief time with the Catalan giants, but Laporta simply said that they decided to go in a different direction…

???? Why Barça didn’t keep João Félix and Cancelo?

Laporta: “We decided to plan for the squad in a different way. They were on loan then both joined different clubs, so it’s normal”. pic.twitter.com/3Slpz2W6cI

— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) September 3, 2024

Chelsea fans will be glad Felix was available again as he looks like he could be a useful option for them, even if he has plenty of competition for a place in Enzo Maresca’s squad due to the likes of Pedro Neto, Noni Madueke, Jadon Sancho and Mykhailo Mudryk also being similar players in that department.

Barcelona, meanwhile, have perhaps done well to replace Felix with Dani Olmo in the attacking midfield area, with the Spain international making a strong start since joining from RB Leipzig this summer.