Joao Cancelo has been closely associated with a move to Barcelona in recent months. The player was notably linked with a move to Camp Nou in January, but a move did not materialize.
A report from Diario SPORT has offered more details on Barcelona’s January pursuit of Cancelo, suggesting Pep Guardiola had vetoed the defender’s move to Camp Nou.
Although the report does concede the fact that Barcelona’s economic troubles had played a key role in the collapsed move, it claims Barça did reach an agreement with Manchester City over the Portuguese international.
However, Man City manager Guardiola vetoed the move. It was not the first time Guardiola has vetoed a Barcelona move of a Man City player, notably doing so in early 2022, when Raheem Sterling was subjected to a move to Camp Nou.
Guardiola’s opposition led to Sterling joining Chelsea. As for Cancelo, the right-back ended up joining Bayern Munich on a loan deal until the end of the season.
However, the Portuguese international has had a poor start to his life in Bavaria, falling behind in the pecking order. His struggles have led to links to a move elsewhere this summer, with Man City not too keen on retaining his services.
Real Madrid have been mooted as one of the potential destinations, but Barcelona, too, are not throwing in the towel in the pursuit of Cancelo, despite the opposition from Guardiola.
However, it must be noted that Barça have not yet made their minds up about signing a new right-back. They are going to make a definitive decision later in the summer, once they are done with their initial priorities, including the signing of Lionel Messi.
