Joao Cancelo will have to lower his salary if he is to leave Manchester City for Barcelona this summer.
The futures of several City players are shrouded in mystery, but in the case of Cancelo, things seem a little more certain.
The Portuguese full-back left City under a cloud in January after falling out with Pep Guardiola over a perceived lack of game time.
The manager became concerned that Cancelo’s attitude was negatively affecting his players, so the 29-year-old was sent to Bayern Munich on loan for the remainder of the season.
Guardiola has made it clear to the City hierarchy that he does not want the defender to return to his squad.
Cancelo won the Bundesliga title with Bayern, but unfortunately for City and Pep, the German side decided against activating the €60m purchase option in Cancelo’s contract.
A number of clubs including Barcelona and Paris Saint-Germain have been linked with Cancelo, but so far no formal offers have been made.
Cancelo is under contract at City until 2027, so as things stand, he will report for pre-season training in the coming weeks.
Barcelona have a request for Cancelo
Barcelona are the suitors most likely to sign Cancelo, but it looks like the Portuguese star would have to take a wage cut if he wants to make the move to Camp Nou.
According to SPORT, Barca manager Xavi and incoming sporting director Deco are both keen on signing the full-back.
However, due to the club’s precarious financial situation, Barca would need Cancelo to reduce his reported €8m per season wages or risk breaching La Liga’s financial restrictions.
The report identifies another potential sticking point.
City are keen to generate income that can be reinvested into the playing squad, so would like to sell Cancelo this summer.
Barcelona would prefer to sign Cancelo on loan for the 2023/24 season, with a purchase option included in the deal that could be activated next summer.
The Spanish giants have already signed former City captain Ilkay Gundogan as a free agent this summer, but it’s unclear whether the Blaugrana would be able to stump up a suitable fee for Cancelo.
