It has been revealed that Joao Cancelo has no intention of returning to Manchester City after his loan spell at Barcelona draws to a close.
This comes from Fabrizio Romano on CaughtOffside TV as the £60 million (Telegraph) man’s future still remains up in the air.
But it has been assured that Joao Cancelo aims to stay at Barcelona on a long-term basis rather than returning to Manchester City.
Fabrizio Romano: Joao Cancelo is keen on Barcelona stay & not Manchester City return
Branded as an ‘amazing player’ by Bernardo Silva (via Manchester Evening News), it was reported on Monday that the treble-winners were willing to get him off their books for a fee of £24.3 million now.
It seems like Pep Guardiola has no desire to reintegrate the Portuguese international into his roster.
Now, Fabrizio Romano has given an insight into the fact that Manchester City loanee Joao Cancelo has his sights set on signing for Barcelona permanently.
“What we can say is that both players [Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix] really want to stay at Barcelona long-term. For example, I’m told from people close to Joao Cancelo that he doesn’t consider this season like a loan season and coming back to Man City”, he said.
“That was the feeling at Bayern, for example. ‘Okay, I will stay here, maybe six months and then we will see in the summer.’ But with Barcelona, it’s completely different. He sees Barcelona as the project for the present and the future. He wants to stay at Barcelona.”
Best for all parties if Joao Cancelo stays in Spain
For Manchester City, Joao Cancelo and Barcelona, it is best if he stays put at the Spotify Camp Nou beyond this season.
A flying full-back like Cancelo does not fit Guardiola’s current tactical setup, for starters, even keeping aside their much-reported rift.
As for the decorated technician, he is performing well in Spain and has become a regular starter again.
From Barcelona’s perspective, if the move is made permanent, they will get to keep one of the best full-backs in world football, which makes this potential deal mutually beneficial for all parties involved.
