Barcelona deal to sign Joao Cancelo might be difficult, negotiations complicated

Barcelona are interested in acquiring the services of 29-year-old Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo on a permanent basis.

According to Sport via SportWitness, Barcelona are keen on having Joao Cancelo in their ranks for years to come. The 29-year-old is currently on loan at the Spanish club and on the back of his impressive performances, they are interested in signing him on a permanent basis.

Cancelo was an important part of Manchester City’s first team around this time last year. He was doing exceptionally well at the English club and was expected to stay there for years to come. However, he ended up having a rift with Pep Guardiola.

The Spanish manager no longer wanted him at his disposal and they sent him out on loan to Bayern Munich for the second half of the season. He returned to his parent club in the summer but was expected to be sold. However, they couldn’t find him a new club.

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Towards the end of the window, Barcelona pushed for his services. While they managed to bring him in on loan, they couldn’t add a buy option to the deal because of FFP reasons. The 29-year-old full-back was keen on joining the Spanish club and he has been on fire since joining the Catalan giants.

He has featured in six league matches so far and has two goals and an assist to his name. The Portuguese international has been doing wonders on the pitch. And, his performances have convinced Barcelona about the idea of signing him on a permanent basis.

The 29-year-old has solved their long-standing right-back problems and they are eager to land him at the club on a permanent basis. While Cancelo’s contract with the English club runs until the summer of 2027, Pep Guardiola’s men won’t have problems selling him next summer. But, they will look for more than €30 million to offload him permanently.

As a result, it won’t be easy for Barcelona to sign him. They have their financial concerns and that might limit them. And, on top of that, negotiations with Manchester City sporting director Txiki Begiristain are expected to be complicated.