In the upcoming summer transfer window, one of the tasks that FC Barcelona will have to take care of would be related to the future of the on-loan defender, Joao Cancelo.
The Portuguese international joined the Catalan club on the last day of the last summer transfer window on a single-year loan and would have to return to Manchester City this summer.
As he himself stated publicly recently, he and his family are very happy in Barcelona and he only wants to play at Barcelona next season. The Barcelona Sporting Director, Deco, also wants him to stay.
However, for him to continue at the Catalan club, another party would have to agree to such a move, i.e., the actual owners of Cancelo, Manchester City.
The Spanish publication SPORT has provided an update on what the English side expects in regards to their fullback.
As per SPORT, Pep Guardiola is clear that he does not want Cancelo on his side and had already communicated this to the club’s Sporting Director, Txiki Begiristain, in 2023.
After loans at Bayern Munich and Barcelona, Manchester City have a clear idea about Joao Cancelo are now pushing for a full sale of the defender, and are expecting to fetch around €20-25 million for him, after having paid €65 million to Juventus to get him in 2019.
Guardiola recently expressed his hope in a press conference that an agreement between the three parties can be reached to end this operation in a mutually beneficial manner. However, a significant time might be needed before this operation can be completed, but City would not want to linger on with their decision for too long.
The player’s agent, Jorge Mendes, can also play a pivotal role in this operation. One of the options to suit all the involved sides would be to let Cancelo play for another year on loan at Barcelona, and put a mandatory purchase clause in his contract, so Manchester City can stay secure that they will not have to look for another transfer for him next summer.
