It has been reported that Barcelona look set to submit a formal bid to sign Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo on loan with an option to buy.
This comes from Fabrizio Romano, after it was claimed on Sunday that Pep Guardiola has had a rocky relationship with the £60 million (Telegraph) man since the 2021/2022 season.
Now, it seems like Barcelona could finally seal the deal to sign Joao Cancelo but only on a loan move this campaign.
Fabrizio Romano: Barcelona are set to submit loan bid for Joao Cancelo
Branded as ‘underrated’ by Nigel de Jong, the Portuguese technician is yet to have featured in the matchday squads for the Sky Blues for the Community Shield against Arsenal and in their Premier League opener against Burnley.
It is clear to see that after the decorated defender left the treble-winners on loan to Bayern Munich and has since returned to the Etihad Stadium, Pep Guardiola still has no intention to reintegrate him into the squad.
Now, it has been revealed that Barcelona are set to launch a formal bid to sign Joao Cancelo from Manchester City but only on loan, with an option to buy clause in the deal.
Romano has emphasised that these are ‘crucial days’ to make the move official after personal terms have been agreed, with Xavi’s side set to use the income from Ousmane Dembele’s sale to PSG to fund his addition.
The loan terms are not the best from a Manchester City perspective
It is not ideal for Manchester City that Barcelona have an option to buy Joao Cancelo in this potential deal.
It would be far better from a City perspective if Cancelo’s exit was either on a permanent basis or in this case, if there was an obligation for the Spanish giants to sign him.
Ultimately, if Joao Cancelo’s stint at Barcelona is a letdown, they will simply decide not to sign him permanently, as was the case with Bayern.
The prospect of the 29-year-old returning to the Etihad Stadium once again next summer is not ideal and even if he does perform, with the Blaugrana’s financial woes, they may still decide to pull out of this deal in a year’s time.
