Joao Cancelo was on press conference duty today for Portugal – and he was asked whether he will stay at Manchester City or move to Barcelona.
Portugal are set to play their first game at Euro 2024 on Tuesday, taking on the Czech Republic.
Portugal have arrived at the tournament in fine form and for a lot of people now, they are dark horses for this competition.
Cancelo will have the chance to add to his 54 caps, although he will have strong competition for a start in the form of Diogo Dalot, Nelson Semedo and Nuno Mendes.
The Manchester City player spoke to reporters on Sunday ahead of the game on Tuesday – and he was actually asked about his future, which has been up in the air.
Man City ace Joao Cancelo refuses to be drawn on his future while at Euro 2024
Last season, Cancelo played on loan at Barcelona and was a key player for them, making 42 appearances.
The 30-year-old was sanctioned the move, after Pep Guardiola did not reintegrate him last summer. The pair reportedly fell out midway through the 2022/23 season, with Cancelo apparently taking a dim view of the game time he was getting.
He joined Bayern Munich on loan, and then he went to Barca for the 2023/24 season.
Cancelo is wanted back by Barcelona. But the situation is complicated.
They don’t have the money to buy him permanently. But Barcelona are his preference. It was reported earlier today that if City are to send him on loan again, they would like Barcelona to pay a loan fee, his wages in full and commit to buying him next summer.
Cancelo was today asked about his future, if he would be staying at City or joining Barcelona, but he would not be drawn on it. He said (via A Bola): “It created a certain uncertainty when I was off, but from the first day here, I forgot all that.
“I’m 100 percent focused on the national team, 100 percent focused on helping Portugal. Euro 2020 was unfair to me [Fernando Santos didn’t call him up] and now I want to give an answer for myself, for my family, for those who love me and for my friends who wanted to be here, who dreamed of one day, like me.
“So I’m going to put all my cards on the table, give it my all and help Portugal as much as possible.”
Cancelo’s answer suggests nothing is imminent
Given what Cancelo has said, it can be perhaps suggested that nothing will happen with him for the next few weeks while the Euros are on.
He has said that he is completely focused on the tournament. that may suggest he doesn’t want bothering by his agent about his future.
But City and Barcelona are said to already be in contact over the player. The situation is certainly not straightforward, mainly because of Barca’s poor financial position.
City would happily sell to the Spanish giants, but at the moment they can’t afford his £25 million price tag.
So we will see if Barca manage to take him on loan again and perhaps commit to buying him next summer.