Exhaustion, diligence, and even frustration are just some of the things FC Barcelona have had to face in order to get their priority fullback target’s arrival over the line this summer transfer window. With just a few hours left to go, Barcelona can finally breathe a temporary sigh of relief as they officially confirm a massive signing.
According to the official website of FC Barcelona, 29-year-old Portuguese fullback Joao Cancelo has now become an FC Barcelona player for the 2023/2024 season as he arrives on loan from English Premier League side Manchester City for this season.
His loan move does not include a buy option now as FFP considered it to be a major hurdle in the green light for his arrival.
The star was speculated to have been the priority fullback request of Xavi Hernandez since the very beginning of the summer alongside other requests such as that of a new central defensive midfield pivot.
Cancelo’s arrival definitely brings with it top-level quality and experience into a growing Barcelona side. He joins former Manchester City teammate Ilkay Gundogan in Spain as both look to propel Barcelona to great things over the course of this season.
During his time with Manchester City, the new Barcelona star had made 154 total appearances across which he scored 9 goals and contributed 22 assists to his teammates which translated to major success for the Citizens throughout the years since his arrival for the 2019/2020 season.
Massively successful with his club in terms of silverware, the Portuguese fullback already has two English Premier League titles to his name, alongside a German Bundesliga title with Bayern Munich during his loan spell with the Bavarian giants, and even the Serie A title with Juventus during his time in Italy.
With his national team, the now-Blaugrana player has previously won the UEFA Nations League title in 2019. FC Barcelona will now be looking towards him to bring that winning mentality to this young Catalan squad and help them reach even newer heights this season.
