Barcelona will soon hold the final talks with Premier League champions Manchester City to hash out the loan deal to sign Joao Cancelo.
According to reputed Italian journalist Gianluigi Longari, Joao Cancelo will soon be a Barcelona player. The Blaugrana will meet Manchester City on Monday to discuss a loan deal for the 29-year-old. And the agreement will also contain an option-to-buy clause, which will activate next year.
Joao Cancelo has been one of the best full-backs in the world in the last half a decade. And he has represented some of the best clubs, including Inter Milan, Juventus, and Manchester City. Meanwhile, the Portuguese international spent the second half of the 2022/23 season on loan at Bayern Munich.
The 29-year-old turned out 21 times for Bayern Munich, chipping in with one goal and six assists. But the Bundesliga champions did not exercise their option to sign him on a permanent deal, thus sending him back to Manchester City. But Cancelo’s future at the Etihad is non-existent despite featuring during the pre-season campaign.
The former Valencia defender was not a part of the matchday squads in either the Community Shield or the game against Burnley on Friday. So Pep Guardiola has made it clear that Cancelo does not feature in his plans. So the player needs to leave to resurrect his career, with Barcelona keen on signing him.
The right-back slot has been a problem area for Barcelona in the last few seasons. And Joan Laporta has already insisted that they will reinforce the position in the ongoing transfer window. But despite Barcelona showing interest in several players, Jules Kounde remains the first-choice right-back.
However, Cancelo is Barcelona’s priority target for the summer transfer window. And they already have a pre-agreement to sign the 29-year-old multi-time Premier League winner. It now looks like the talks are in the final stage, with Barcelona and Manchester City meeting on Monday to finalise the deal.
Personal terms have never been an issue, and Barcelona will seal a loan deal to land the Portuguese international. Meanwhile, the 29-year-old might join the Blaugrana on a permanent transfer next summer, with the proposed agreement containing an option-to-buy clause.
