Barcelona block signing 23-year-old Chelsea star due to ‘unstoppable decline’: Reports

Barcelona manager Xavi has blocked the club from pursuing the signing of Joao Felix. The Spaniard feels that the 23-year-old Chelsea loanee is on an unstoppable decline and the club would do better to spend the money elsewhere.

The Blaugrana have had a strong season and will look to wrap up the La Liga title soon. However, they have performed poorly on the European stage and the club are looking to improve their squad.

Joao Felix is believed to be a favorite of club president Joan Laporta. He is represented by Jorge Mendes, who has a strong relationship with Laporta. However, El Nacional reported that Xavi has stepped in to prevent the club from making a move. The manager believes the player is not worth a massive fee after two mediocre spells at Atletico Madrid and Chelsea.

Xavi believes that they would be better off spending the money on Manchester City's Bernardo Silva. The Portugal star has been a priority target for Xavi since the summer of 2022.

However, Barcelona are in the midst of some deep financial troubles. The Catalan giants have been instructed to cut down on their wage bill by €200 million by La Liga president Javier Tebas. The club believe they can come to an agreement with league rules by player sales and salary reductions.

These financial moves are mainly believed to be tailored to facilitate a move for Lionel Messi. The Argentinian has been linked with a reunion with the club. With his contract with Paris Saint-Germain set to expire, the Blaugrana believe they can make an offer that would entice the 35-year-old to return.

Xavi confirms Barcelona meet with La Liga over possible return of Lionel Messi

Lionel Messi has met with Barcelona over a possible return.

Barcelona manager Xavi confirmed that the club's representatives have met with La Liga to discuss a possible reunion with Lionel Messi.

Xavi said:

"Yes [Barcelona met with La Liga], but not only for the possible arrival of Leo. We’ll see in order to improve the squad for next year, but it is not the important issue; there is still a league to win.

"Tomorrow we have a key game and this is the important issue. This is a matter of Mateu (Alemany) and he informs us, but, in theory, everything is going well. In the end, we don’t know if it’s going to happen or not. It’s very soon to talk about it. We are focused on the match against Betis and on winning La Liga, which would give us a lot of stability. We will talk about possible signings."

The Argentine's contract with PSG is set to expire in the summer.