João Cancelo prevented Pubill's signing by Barcelona

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Barcelona Getafe

10/10/26 18:30:00

1.05 13.00 34.00

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Barcelona's transfer market had the opportunity to sign Marc Pubill for only 5 million euros in 2023, according to Sport, but the club prioritized the arrival of Joao Cancelo on loan. A year later, Barça tried again to incorporate the full-back, but economic limitations prevented the deal from being finalized. Now, Pubill, 23, is a starter for Atletico Madrid and has a release clause of 500 million euros.

The first opportunity came when Pubill was 20 years old and playing for Levante. The full-back had been offered to Barcelona for 5 million euros, but the sporting direction decided to bet on a player with more experience for Xavi Hernandez's project.

Barcelona chose Joao Cancelo in 2023

The alternative was Joao Cancelo, who arrived at Barcelona on loan from Manchester City in the final days of the 2023 summer transfer market. The Portuguese occupied the position that could have corresponded to Pubill, and the deal with the young defender was put on hold.

Pubill ended that summer at Almeria, which paid Levante the 5 million euros and also agreed to a 20% share of any future profit for the Valencia club. Two seasons later, the player would reappear in Barcelona's plans.

In 2024, Barça took advantage of the failed transfer of Pubill to Atalanta, which had reached an agreement for 16 million euros. The Barcelona proposal consisted of a loan with a purchase option that could provide 12 million euros to Almeria over two seasons.

However, the deal did not go through. Pubill had agreed to the possibility of playing for Barcelona, but the salary cap and the club's economic restrictions made the agreement unfeasible. With Jules Koundé established at right-back, Barça eventually backed down.

🔴 Confidencial SPORT 💰 Barcelona could have signed Marc Pubill for five million euros ✍️ L. Miguelsanz https://t.co/yzSXiL1sdq

— Diario SPORT (@sport) October 7, 2026

Marc Pubill moves from Barcelona to Atletico Madrid

Atletico Madrid took advantage of the situation in 2025 and completed the signing of Pubill for 12 million euros fixed plus 7 million in variables. The subsequent evolution of the defender completely changed his market value.

Pubill became a key player for Diego Simeone and made the leap to the Spanish national team. In 2026, he also played in the World Cup with Spain and later scored his first goal as a senior international against Croatia.

The player's growth has led Atletico to review his conditions. The club is working on a salary improvement and has the player tied until 2030, while his release clause reaches 500 million euros.

The irony for Barcelona is that the player they could have signed for 5 million ended up becoming a key figure for Atletico, at a cost much higher than that initial amount. Joao Cancelo was the immediate choice in 2023; now, Pubill is no longer a low-risk economic and sporting operation. Barcelona will have to consider other defensive alternatives as Atletico protects Pubill with a contract until 2030 and a 500 million euro release clause.

This news is an automatic translation. You can read the original news, Joao Cancelo evitó el fichaje de Pubill por el Barcelona