FC Barcelona have been heavily active in the summer transfer window and are on the verge of completing another signing.
This time, they are going after Portuguese forward Joao Felix, who will replace Ansu Fati as he is joining the Premier League (PL) club Brighton & Hove Albion F.C. on loan.
Once the departure of Fati is official, Barca will complete the signing of the Portuguese as the 20-year-old’s loan move would not only make space in the squad but could also free up some Financial Fair Play (FFP) space.
It was reported that Barca have to offload one attacker to make way for Felix, and Abde Ezzalzouli was the player reported to leave but as of now, it seems that it is going to be Fati.
Felix's signing is much-needed for the Catalan club, their attack weakened after Ousmane Dembele left the club for Paris Saint-Germain (PSG).
The primary option for Xavi was Manchester City’s Bernardo Silva but due to his massive transfer fee plus high wages, the 27-time La Liga winners backed out and he ended up renewing with the treble winners.
Even though Barcelona’s president Joan Laporta and Xavi were not on the same page on Felix's signing, but due to a lack of options in the market, the deal is likely to take place.
It was reported that Xavi acknowledges Felix’s attacking qualities but he does not like his defensive work-rate.
Xavi wants his team to defend with all the players in transition and that is one of the reasons why Fati often fails to make it to the starting XI because he is not that active defensively.
It must be noted that lack of defensive input was one of the biggest reasons why Felix failed to become a success at Atletico despite the club paying a record fee of €126 million for him.
Earlier renowned journalist Fabrizio Romano reported that the Blaugrana completed the signing of Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo.
Barcelona's latest offer for the 29-year-old which includes a loan deal with a purchase option for €25 million satisfied the City's board