Barcelona target Joao Cancelo has reportedly been made available for sale by Spanish side Valencia.
According to Ramiro Adulante of Marca, Valencia are willing to open negotiations with Barcelona over a potential January sale of star right-back Joao Cancelo. This news has come as a shock to many people, as Los Che were adamant on keeping hold of their prized asset.
However, it now seems that the player will no longer be a part of the Valencia setup, despite reiterating his desire to stay. The 22-year-old was understood to be flabbergasted by claims that he was set to move to Barcelona and wanted to explain to the club that there was no sanctity to those reports, and that he was committed to staying at the club and helping them turn their dismal form around.
Barcelona have been keeping an eye on the Spaniard for several months, and may finally tie him down to a contract come the new year. The interest in Cancelo seems pretty obvious as right-back Aleix Vidal has displayed his frustrations publicly, which has seen Luis Enrique leave out the former Sevilla defender. Also, with the departure of Dani Alves in the summer, signing a player in that area has become a top priority.
Despite nearing the halfway mark in the season, the Valencia boardroom is unhappy with the performances of their side, and are willing to offload a number of players. Cancelo tops that list, and will be welcomed with open hands at Camp Nou.
The 22-year-old is touted as a long-term right-back at the Catalan club and they are likely to sign him come what way. However, with the growing interest of Chelsea, Cancelo is unlikely to come on the cheap for Enrique. Fellow Premier League club Manchester City are also keen on signing the Valencia defender as they are facing problems of their own at right-back.
Thus, it may end up being a three-way tussle for the highly-rated Portuguese defender, but Barcelona are understood to have the upper hand, and Cancelo may prefer a move in Spain rather than playing his trade in a country he is not accustomed to playing in.
