Manchester City have the chance to find their next version of Joao Cancelo by securing a transfer deal for Ian Maatsen.
Towards the end of the recent summer transfer window, Cancelo joined Barcelona on a loan deal until the end of the season.
Should the Manchester club end up getting rid of the 29-year-old on a permanent basis next summer, one player that they have been linked with recently that we feel could be a suitable replacement is Ian Maatsen.
Maatsen could be City’s next Cancelo
Earlier this week, it was reported that City are one of the clubs monitoring the Chelsea full-back, whose contract at the west London club is set to expire at the end of the season.
Last season saw the 21-year-old spend the year on loan with Burnley, helping Vincent Kompany’s side win promotion back to the Premier League.
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During the campaign, Maatsen made 39 appearances for Burnley in the Championship, scoring four goals and delivering six assists from the left-back position.
This effectiveness in front of goal puts him in a similar light to Cancelo, who showed during his time at City by scoring nine goals and providing 22 assists how useful he can be in terms of supplying goal contributions.
Even though he played all of his league games for the Lancashire club as a left-back, Maatsen was hailed by Kompany as a “versatile” player, which also strikes comparisons to Cancelo, as he showed his versatility for the Citizens by playing in a number of different roles.
With all of that in mind, if the 21-year-old becomes a free agent next summer, we feel that the treble winners should do all they can to finally ditch Cancelo permanently and secure a deal for Maatsen.