Barcelona Transfer News Roundup: Blaugrana confirm Lamine Yamal renewal; Joao Cancelo eager to stay, and more - October 2, 2023
Barcelona are preparing to face Porto at the Estadio do Dragao on Wednesday (October 4) in the UEFA Champions League group stage. Barca are coming off a 1-0 La Liga win over Sevilla at the weekend.
Meanwhile, the La Liga champions have confirmed that teenager Lamine Yamal has signed a new deal. Elsewhere, on-loan Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo is eager to make his stay at the Camp Nou permanent.
On that note, here's a look at the key Barcelona transfer stories as on October 2, 2023:
Barcelona confirm Lamine Yamal renewal
Barcelona have confirmed that Lamine Yamal has signed a new deal at the Camp Nou.
Recent rumours suggested that the Spaniard had agreed a new contract with the La Liga champions. The club have confirmed the same, also revealing that his release clause has been set at €1 billion.
The 16-year-old rose through the ranks at La Masia to earn his debut for the first team last season. He has improved by leaps and bounds so far, generating interest from clubs across the continent.
However, Barca have moved quickly to end any speculation regarding his future by tying the youngster to a new deal.
Joao Cancelo eager to stay
Joao Cancelo is keen to permanently stay at Barcelona, according to acclaimed transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.
The Portuguese full-back arrived at the Camp Nou from Manchester City on loan on deadline day this summer and has hit the ground running. His efforts has already sparked talks of a permanent move to the La Liga champions next summer.
Romano said on Caught Offside TV that Joao Felix, who joined on loan from Atletico Madrid, is also eager to make his move permanent.
“What we can say is that both players (Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix) really want to stay at Barcelona long-term. For example, I’m told from people close to Joao Cancelo that he doesn’t consider this season like a loan season and coming back to Man City,” said Romano.
He continued:
“That was the feeling at Bayern, for example. ‘Okay, I will stay here, maybe six months, and, then, we will see in the summer.’ But with Barcelona, it’s completely different. He sees Barcelona as the project for the present and the future. He wants to stay at Barcelona.”
Cancelo was also linked with a move to the Blaugrana in January this year but ended up moving to Bayern Munich on a six-month loan deal instead.
Valentin Castellanos opens up on Barca links
Valentin Castellanos has admitted that he would have liked to join Barcelona this summer.
The 24-year-old spent last season on loan at Girona and was quite impressive. The Blaugrana reportedly eyed the player at the end of the campaign, but the Argentinean ended up joining Lazio instead.
Castellanos told Gerard Romero that he was calm in the summer despite reports linking him to the La Liga champions.
“There were rumours of my arrival at Barca and contacts with the people around me, but I had to be calm because I knew there would be a lot of rumours.
"It would have been a very nice dream to come to a team as big as Barca,” said Castellanos.
The Argentinean also heaped praise on his former teammate Oriol Romeu, who moved to the Camp Nou this summer.
“I had the opportunity to share some time with Oriol Romeu, and he is an incredible person. For me, he is one of the best midfielders in the world. He’s a person who doesn’t talk a lot, but, on the pitch, he’s different,” said Castellanos.
Barcelona’s poor finances restricted their activity in the transfer market this summer.