FC Barcelona have just recently confirmed the official departure of 26-year-old French winger Ousmane Dembele to Ligue 1 outfit Paris Saint-Germain in a deal worth €50.4 million and one that sees the Frenchman sign with the Parisians for 5 years.
Now that one of the most advanced exit operations within the books of FC Barcelona has been closed, the Catalan club will advance other operations for arrivals in order to reinforce the team ahead of the 2023/2024 season.
One key position that Xavi Hernandez continues to push for in terms of recruitment is the right-back position, where the lack of a reliable specialist has prompted Xavi to request that Barcelona bring in a suitable arrival, with the priority being Manchester City’s Joao Cancelo.
The 29-year-old has been the absolute priority of Xavi Hernandez during this summer transfer window as his right-back target of choice, and as Spanish outlet Mundo Deportivo highlights, the player would arrive at Barcelona only in the case of a loan deal as personal terms remain agreed between the Catalans and the Portuguese star.
Given Barca’s financial limitations, the Catalans would only be able to complete the arrival of Cancelo should it be as a loan with an option to buy at the end of it. This Barcelona operation is being heavily aided by the player’s agent, Jorge Mendes, who continues to try to find a solution with Manchester City to get this deal over the line.
Cancelo played the first half of last season with Manchester City, and then went on to play the second half since January with German club Bayern Munich, accumulating a total of 47 games throughout the season having scored three goals and having provided eleven assists.
Currently not a priority starter under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City, and considering the renewal of English fullback Kyle Walker set to keep him on the bench for much of the season, it appears that the player is eager to make his way to Spain and Barcelona are willing to take him under their wing.
At the moment, the Catalan giants are still aware of possible complications that can arise in such a grand operation and Barcelona have thus kept other portfolios open such as those of Ivan Fresneda and Juan Foyth among others to fall back on in case the Cancelo operation does not amount to much.
