Over the past week or so, rumours linking Barcelona with a move for Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo, who is currently on loan at Bayern Munich, have been gathering steam.
The 28-year-old was on the Blaugrana’s agenda during the winter window, but Financial Fair Play problems stopped the operation and he ended up joining Bayern on loan until the end of the season with a €70 million buy option.
However, things have not gone according to plans for the Portuguese international in Germany and it is unlikely that the Bavarians will sign him permanently. It has thrown his future up in the air as a return to City is not an option.
This is where Barcelona enter the picture. The Blaugrana are on the lookout for a new right-back in the summer and see Cancelo as an opportunity to address the problem position at Spotify Camp Nou.
Recent reports suggested that the La Liga leaders were already intensifying their interest in the former Juventus and Valencia ace, following a meeting with his agent Jorge Mendes in Porto earlier this week.
However, according to Gabriel Sans of Mundo Deportivo, Barcelona see the operation to sign Cancelo from Manchester City in the upcoming summer window as ‘very difficult’.
The big concern for the Catalan giants is that Manchester City will likely demand a big transfer fee for the 28-year-old right-back, considering that his contract with the club runs until the summer of 2027. A loan fee would also be possibly out of their reach.
At this point, Barcelona are not in a position to make a sizeable investment in the player and believe they cannot sign Cancelo unless he arrives for free.
This report corroborates claims from Javi Miguel of AS, who claimed on Wednesday that Barça had all but ruled out the signing of the Manchester City ace due to the finances involved.
Other options such as Thomas Meunier, Diogo Dalot and Juan Foyth remain on the agenda at Barcelona and only time will tell who the club ends up signing. But a move for Cancelo seems extremely unlikely this summer.
