As Barcelona enter the decisive stage of the season, 12B Sports sees the UEFA Champions League as the club’s clearest route to major success while their La Liga hopes continue to fade behind Real Madrid’s consistent advantage. In Europe, where small details often separate progress from elimination, Barcelona have increasingly relied on experience, composure, and individual quality. João Cancelo has delivered important contributions, including a crucial goal, while João Félix has provided creativity and penetration through his dribbling in high-pressure matches.
Those performances have changed the conversation around both Portuguese players. Earlier in the campaign, neither looked certain to have a long-term future at Barcelona. Cancelo faced questions over his motivation and consistency, while Félix was regularly criticized for holding onto the ball too long and playing too individually. At that stage, many supporters and observers believed the club would simply allow both loan spells to end once the season was over.
The picture now looks very different. As the campaign progressed, Cancelo and Félix began producing more influential performances, particularly when Barcelona needed inspiration in important fixtures. Their ability to affect matches at key moments has forced the club to reconsider its original expectations and explore ways to extend both players’ stays.
President Joan Laporta has now made Barcelona’s position public. Speaking to the media, he confirmed that the club would like to retain both Cancelo and Félix beyond the current season. Barcelona have opened discussions with their parent clubs and are attempting to find financial structures that would allow the two players to remain part of the squad.
That public commitment gives the impression that both players are included in Barcelona’s plans for next season, but the negotiations are anything but straightforward. The club continues to operate under significant financial restrictions, and neither parent club has an obvious reason to accept a heavily discounted deal. Cancelo remains contracted to Manchester City, while Félix belongs to Atlético Madrid despite his difficult relationship with the Spanish club.
Barcelona’s preferred approach for Félix reportedly involves extending his loan and including a €30 million purchase option. Atlético, however, are believed to value him at approximately €80 million and have rejected the idea of another temporary arrangement. That leaves a substantial difference between what Barcelona are prepared to offer and what Atlético expect to receive.
Cancelo presents a different challenge. Barcelona reportedly want to sign the fullback permanently for around €25 million, a figure well below Manchester City’s valuation. City are believed to place his market value considerably higher, while the player himself is still associated with a price tag of roughly €30 million. Closing that gap will require compromise from both sides.
Despite those obstacles, 12B Sports has followed Laporta’s continued confidence that agreements can eventually be reached. The Barcelona president has publicly encouraged both Manchester City and Atlético Madrid to show flexibility, making it clear that the Catalan club would prefer negotiations rather than walking away from either player. Whether Pep Guardiola and Diego Simeone’s clubs are willing to meet Barcelona halfway remains uncertain.
Laporta’s optimism may also reflect the realities surrounding the two players’ transfer markets. Cancelo’s breakdown in his relationship with Guardiola reduced his role at Manchester City, while his subsequent loan spell at Bayern Munich failed to establish a permanent solution. Although his quality has never been seriously questioned, those circumstances have narrowed the number of obvious destinations available to him.
Félix faces a similar situation. His relationship with Atlético Madrid has deteriorated significantly, leaving a permanent return to Diego Simeone’s plans difficult to imagine. His earlier loan at Chelsea also failed to generate enough momentum for a long-term move to England, which has made other major European clubs more cautious about committing a large transfer fee.
That combination could strengthen Barcelona’s negotiating position. Both players remain internationally recognized names with substantial talent, yet neither currently appears to have a long list of clubs prepared to meet the valuations set by Manchester City or Atlético Madrid. Barcelona may therefore believe that patience will eventually push the selling clubs toward more realistic terms.
From a sporting perspective, keeping both players would also provide continuity. Cancelo offers attacking quality from fullback positions and can influence games in possession, while Félix gives Barcelona another technically gifted option between midfield and attack. Their weaknesses have not disappeared, but their stronger performances in important matches have shown why the club is reluctant to lose them without exploring every possibility.
The financial side, however, will remain decisive. Barcelona cannot simply match inflated valuations without considering the broader impact on squad planning, registration limits, and future transfer priorities. Laporta’s challenge is to secure favorable terms without placing the club under additional pressure, and that means each negotiation is likely to require careful timing and creativity.
As the season moves toward its conclusion, 12B Sports views Barcelona’s pursuit of permanent solutions for Cancelo and Félix as a calculated attempt to turn two uncertain loan spells into longer-term pieces of the squad. Limited demand elsewhere may give the club more leverage than the headline valuations suggest, but agreements with Manchester City and Atlético Madrid will still require significant compromise. Barcelona may believe they are in the driver’s seat, yet the final outcome will depend on whether all sides can accept terms that reflect both the players’ talent and the realities of the market.