Arsenal will have an advantage over Barcelona in the race to sign Joao Cancelo as they are ready to pay a transfer fee to sign him.
According to a report by Spanish outlet SPORT, Arsenal and Barcelona are keen on signing Joao Cancelo in the summer transfer window. And the Gunners have an advantage over the Blaugrana as they are ready to pay a transfer fee to secure the services of the Manchester City defender in a permanent deal. On the other hand, Barcelona can only land him on loan.
Joao Cancelo is in a difficult position heading into the summer transfer window. The 29-year-old has represented two league-winning clubs but does not have a future at either team. His stint with Bayern Munich will officially end soon, but the Bundesliga champions do not want to sign him permanently.
On the other hand, Cancelo’s run-ins with Pep Guardiola mean Manchester City will look to sell him this summer. But despite the reduction in stature, the Portuguese international has no shortage of suitors. And several high-profile clubs, including Arsenal and Barcelona, are keen on signing him.
The Manchester City defender has been on Barcelona’s radar for a long time. And the Catalan giants are stepping up their efforts to secure Cancelo’s services in the summer transfer window. Meanwhile, the interest in the player is understandable, considering Barcelona’s search for Dani Alves’s heir is yet to end.
But Barcelona can only afford to secure Cancelo’s services on loan due to the never-ending financial issues. That is a problem as Manchester City will look to offload the Portuguese defender permanently in the summer transfer window. That has come as a boost for Arsenal, who can afford to meet Cancelo’s market value of €60 million.
The Gunners are ready to pay a fee to sign Cancelo permanently from Manchester City. And Arsenal’s interest in the Manchester City defender is understandable, considering Mikel Arteta wants a more offensive-minded option for the right-back spot. And with Arsenal ready to pay a fee, they have the edge over Barcelona.
So unless Barcelona can procure the funds to secure Cancelo’s services permanently, a deal might not see the light of day. For now, the Catalan giants are behind Arsenal in the race to sign the 29-year-old in the summer transfer window.
