Despite being linked with a number of players over the summer transfer window, it is still not clear who the next right-back at FC Barcelona will be.
What is clear for now is only that the club needs to have a top-class right-back in their squad for the next season to significantly enhance both their offense and defense.
Joao Cancelo is one of the players who has been linked with the Catalan club for this role for several months now. Lately, Barcelona have been reported to be extremely close to finalizing the signing of Cancelo, after having ruled him out earlier because of his high loan fee and wage.
FC Barcelona have set a maximum amount that they can pay for the full-back and a time limit to complete the operation, with Cancelo’s agent, Jorge Mendes, playing an active part in ensuring his client plays for Barcelona next season. However, Manchester City remain unmoved over their valuation of the player.
In such a context, SPORT reports that Cancelo is thinking about taking a stand and not listening to any offers other than those from Barcelona. One of the factors that is allowing Manchester City to ask for a high price for the player is the interest they have received from other clubs for Cancelo.
However, if Cancelo takes a stand and makes it clear that he will move only to Barcelona, Manchester City will be forced to compromise on the valuation of their defender.
The Citizens let Cancelo leave on loan for Bayern Munich last season for a fee of €5 million. But this loan was only for half a season, and for a full-season loan, they want to get €10 million. However, Barcelona only want to pay a token transfer fee for the player, which would also be subtracted from the player’s wages.
Meanwhile, Mendes wants to delay the operation till the last weeks of the transfer window, as Manchester City are desperate to offload the Portuguese fullback this summer.
However, Barcelona do not want to take this operation till the very last days, as they will want to have some time to get another player if their pursuit of Cancelo falls through.
