Barcelona announce the departure of THREE first-team stars – including a Chelsea cult hero – before quickly deleting club statement as it emerges TWO of the players could yet STAY

Barcelona announced on Sunday that three first-team players would be leaving the club this summer… before swiftly backtracking.

A statement published just before 1pm initially declared: “Marcos Alonso, Joao Felix and Joao Cancelo are not to continue with FC Barcelona.”

The statement was published on the club’s official website and it was accompanied by individual messages thanking each of the players for their service.

However, within an hour of publication, the statement was amended and all mention of Felix and Cancelo had disappeared.

The contracts tying Alonso, Felix and Cancelo to Barca all expired on Sunday.

But the future of Joao Cancelo remains uncertain despite his loan deal also expiring this week

Alonso is definitely leaving on a free transfer this summer, after playing in 45 matches across two seasons with the Catalan club.

Meanwhile, Felix and Cancelo have returned to Atletico Madrid and Manchester City respectively after their loan contracts came to an end.

However, Barcelona remain interested in re-signing the Portuguese stars – who each played a significant role in last season’s La Liga campaign.

Felix delivered seven goals and three assists in 30 La Liga appearances, while defender Cancelo featured in 32 league matches and was directly involved in six goals.

Joao Felix, another loanee, officially left Barcelona on Sunday but he could yet return

Felix (left) and Cancelo (right) were both first-team regulars for Barcelona last season

Former Chelsea left back Alonso only appeared in five La Liga games last season, after making 37 appearances across all competitions in the 2022-23 campaign.

The 33-year-old – who was a cult hero among fans at Stamford Bridge after scoring 29 goals for the Blues between 2016 and 2022 – has been linked with a possible summer switch to Atletico.