da casino： Barcelona are hoping to keep Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix at Camp Nou, but permanent transfers for the pair will cost around €105 million (£92m/$113m).

da heads bet： Article continues below

Article continues below

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Portuguese pair joined in summer of 2023Due to spend the season at Camp NouPermanent deals will be sought in 2024WHAT HAPPENED?

The reigning La Liga champions put loan agreements in place for the Portugal internationals during the summer window. Versatile defender Cancelo arrived from Premier League giants Manchester City, while Felix made a “dream” move from domestic rivals Atletico Madrid.

Advertisement(C)GettyImagesTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Felix has only netted once in his last 10 games, while questions have been asked of Cancelo as Barca continue to leak goals, but sporting director Deco says the club want to keep both men on board – despite their reported fees coming in at €25m (£22m/$27m) and €80m (£70m/$86m) respectively. Deco has told : “We are still in November, it is early. But of course we are already thinking about it. We see how the season is going. There is no doubt that we want to have them next season, because they are good for the squad. We are happy with their performance. How? We’ll see, these are discussions for later.”

WHAT THEY SAID

While looking ahead to next summer, Deco has claimed that no business will be done in January – with Vitor Roque set to be the only arrival if his agreed switch from Athletico Paranaense is pushed through ahead of schedule. Deco added to : “When the squad was drawn up, it was intended for the entire year. And that idea has not changed nor will it change regardless of fair play. I don’t think we can make any move in January regardless of what happens with Roque.”

Getty ImagesWHAT NEXT?

Barca have faced criticism this season after struggling for consistency in La Liga and Champions League competition, but head coach Xavi retains the full support of the club’s board and the expectation is that a star-studded squad will be reinforced at some point in 2024 – despite much-publicised financial struggles being endured in Catalunya.