Joao Cancelo is wanted by Barcelona – and a report has shed some light on a key reason why the Spanish giants do not want to lose the Manchester City man.
Cancelo has just finished a loan spell with Barca and is due to report back to Manchester City where talks will commence about his future.
He will go to the Euros with Portugal, so it could well be that a decision is not made until after the tournament.
Cancelo has now spent around 18 months away from City, briefly returning last summer for pre-season.
He fell out with Pep Guardiola over his lack of game time, and headed to Bayern Munich for the second half of 2022/23, and then Barcelona for 2023/24.
Barca want to keep hold of him, and there is another reason aside from his ability, they want to do this…
Barcelona also want to keep Joao Cancelo because he is a leader
It has been reported by Mundo Deportivo that Barcelona are very hopeful of keeping Cancelo this summer.
It will be a difficult deal for them to do, because they don’t want to pay City’s asking price of £21 million. They could try for another loan, but City are thought to want to sell.
Cancelo himself has said that he would like to stay put.
But it all depends on whether City and Barca can come to an agreement.
Certainly, Barcelona are really keen for that to happen. Because not only do they rate Cancelo as a very talented player, but they also feel he is a big leader in their dressing room.
Apparently, according to Mundo, during his time at the club so far, Cancelo has been very good with the young players.
Seemingly, there is a view that he improves the culture.
It could be complicated
So Barca really want Cancelo back, but it will undoubtedly be a tricky deal for them to do, if reports about City’s desire to sell are to be believed.
Cancelo wants to join Barcelona permanently, but it will all depend on whether they can get the necessary funds together. Everyone knows that they have had financial problems in recent times.
They may propose another loan, but it’s hard to see City agreeing to this as they will not really benefit.
But ultimately, it may be that other clubs don’t come forward for Cancelo. If it’s only Barcelona that want him, and they can’t really afford a permanent transfer fee, then a loan move may be the only option. Because he is surely not going to be reintegrated by Pep Guardiola.