Having arrived on the last day of the last summer transfer window, Joao Cancelo has gone on to become an important player for FC Barcelona this season. He is a key part of Xavi’s squad for the season, and in addition to his main role at the right-back, has also performed duties at left-back and left-wing positions.
However, the fact that the player is at Barcelona only on a loan from Manchester City means his future at the Catalan club is highly uncertain. But the Blaugranes are clear that they want to retain the player, and as has already been reported, the agent Jorge Mendes is going to start working on this operation in the coming days.
Two of the options that the agent is going to discuss with City to allow the 29-year-old Portuguese to continue at FC Barcelona are to either lower his transfer fee or to allow him to remain at the Catalan club for another season on loan.
However, it will not be easy for the agent to convince Manchester City to accept either of these two alternatives, mainly because, as SPORT has reported, they have already got two offers for a permanent sale on the table. One of these offers is from England, while the other is from Saudi Arabia.
For Barcelona, the one point that goes in their favor is that the player himself is determined to continue at the Spanish club, at least for one more season. Thus, Mendes can block his player’s transfer to both of these sides, but the position that Manchester City will take on this matter remains to be seen.
As things stand, the Manchester-based club is standing firm on their valuation of the player at €40 million, especially as the fullback has been able to perform well at Barcelona, thus enhancing his value in the market.
FC Barcelona are prioritizing Cancelo’s stay, especially as he solves a lot of problems on the flanks. But still, Barcelona will not do anything out of the ordinary to retain him, especially with the slim financial margin that they have to operate within.
