FC Barcelona have several different positions to assess and reconsider over the summer. While the Catalan giants cannot wish all their problems away due to their financial issues, they can still try to. However, despite there being some key areas needing reinforcement for Barcelona, others of importance exist as well.
One such position is that of the fullback zones. While the signing of a pivot and a new left-winger are seen as absolute priorities, the signing or availability of a new fullback is seen as important to new Barcelona coach Hansi Flick. However, even apart from needing to sign a player, Barça could look to negotiate the loan of one.
Joao Cancelo, much like his compatriot at Barcelona who is also on loan, is still a player for Manchester City. With the Citizens, the player has an active contract until 2027 and Barcelona is unwilling to buy the player permanently at the moment and wishes to extend his loan by another season.
As per SPORT, however, Manchester City have their own conditions. The English champions know that they have an upper hand in negotiations due to the contractual situation of Cancelo, and while they would ideally want an immediate transfer, they have conditions for Barcelona to adhere to in the event of an extension of his loan.
The first condition would be for Barcelona to give economic compensation for the player’s loan. Instead of seeing it as a free loan, Barcelona may have to pay a certain amount in exchange for the player’s loan, a practice that is not that uncommon when it comes to loan deals.
Secondly, Manchester City will expect Barcelona to cover the entirety of the player’s salary for that season. As per SPORT, that amount would be settled around £180,000 per week, but Cancelo would reportedly be willing to help out to get his loan extended and would be okay with reducing his salary.
Lastly, the English side would demand a definitive solution for his transfer in the next season. This would possibly mean an obligatory purchase clause for the player, and the amount is likely going to be something that favors the demands of Manchester City.
Only if Barcelona is able to commit to these demands would City be willing to budge. However, there is still a long way to go in the summer for negotiations.
For now, however, it is expected that the player will return to Manchester City from Barcelona and continue the pre-season with the Premier League side, something Pep Guardiola himself talked about:
“He is our player, and if no agreement is reached, he will have to return to do the preseason with us. The clubs will sit down; it has to be the best for both parties. If he wants to stay in Barcelona and the clubs reach an agreement, it will be done again like last summer.”
