Following the harrowing 0-4 defeat to Real Madrid last night, reports emerged that Xavi wants Barcelona to sign a new right-back as a priority in the summer. And it was claimed that Villarreal’s Juan Foyth is the manager’s main target for the position.
But, a fresh report from SPORT is now stating that a move for the Argentine could be very complicated because of Villarreal’s unwillingness to negotiate a lower fee than his €54 million release clause.
Instead, the report claims that Barcelona look favourably at roping in Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo on a loan deal in the summer transfer window.
Cancelo is currently away on loan at Bayern Munich, having joined the German giants during the January transfer window. The Bavarians have the option of signing him permanently for a fee of €70 million, which they are unlikely to take up.
All signs indicate that Cancelo will return to Manchester City at the end of the season. But given that he has had a falling out with Pep Guardiola, a summer exit seems certain. And Barcelona hope to capitalise by signing the Portuguese, albeit on a loan deal.
The report suggests that the Catalan giants admire Cancelo’s profile and versatility. While there are some concerns over his character and behaviour, it is claimed that the La Liga leaders are willing to take a risk on him.
Furthermore, the player himself appears keen to make the move happen and would be willing to make a financial effort to join Barcelona.
It means that Cancelo would be prepared to lower his salary to sign for the Blaugrana as long as the club is willing to bet on him in the long term. Essentially, there would need to be a commitment from Barça to acquire him permanently in the future, but not this coming summer.
Given the club’s Financial Fair Play situation, there is still little clarity on how Barcelona might operate in the summer market. Things should get clearer by next month at which point they will start acting on their interest in different candidates.
But despite reports stating that a move for Cancelo would be impossible, SPORT claims that the Portuguese ace remains very much an option on the table.
