Joao Cancelo of Manchester City is an option that Barcelona have on their radars to reinforce the right-back slot this summer.
However, signing the Portuguese international is not easy for the La Liga champions owing to their financial situation. As such, a potential loan move had been considered for the 29-year-old, but such an operation appears unlikely.
Indeed, as per SPORT, Manchester City are not contemplating the possibility of sending Cancelo out on loan this summer and would prefer a permanent exit for the versatile full-back.
And, the Premier League and European champions hope to receive close to €50 million for the defender’s services, making it nearly impossible for Barcelona to sign him.
Cancelo had a falling out with manager Pep Guardiola last season, following which he was loaned out to Bayern Munich in January.
The German giants had to pay a loan fee in excess of €5 million and cover his full wages for a six-month period. They had an option to make the transfer permanent for €70 million but decided against doing so.
Now back at Man City, Cancelo featured in their pre-season friendly against Yokohama F. Marinos and even registered an assist. As such, it is not completely ruled out that he ends up continuing at the Etihad Stadium.
However, as things stand, the Cityzens prefer to sell him for around €50 million and will not look to loan him out, unless they receive a relatively high loan fee.
In either scenario, Barcelona are unlikely to stand a chance of signing Cancelo. A loan operation for the Portuguese ace, including a fee and his wages, could come up to around €20 million and they would have the player for just one season.
As such, Cancelo’s name has been ‘almost ruled out’ at Barcelona, although there is some hope that if his situation remains unresolved until late in the summer, they might be able to sign him in a discounted operation.
Spanish news publication Mundo Deportivo has claimed that Manchester City’s interest in Barcelona left-back Alejandro Balde is taking over and that the Premier League champions have made advancements towards the player by offering him a contract much more lucrative than that presented to him by the Blaugrana.
Balde’s ongoing deal with Barcelona runs until 2024 and we have already reported that the team as well as the player are extremely calm about the renewal talks. This is why despite receiving the higher token from Man City, the player has his mind set on succeeding at Barça.
Above all, the fact that he has now made the left-back spot his own is just another reason why he is not even thinking of leaving the Catalan team.
The report states that the 19-year-old defender is aware of the offer he has received through his agent Jorge Mendes. Interestingly enough, though, the Portuguese super agent has explained to Balde that there is no better place for him than Barcelona.
During his brief tenure with the club, he has earned his manager’s trust who is willing to experiment with the youngster by approaching the games with different formations.
Above all, it has already been established that the two parties have reached an agreement over a new deal until 2027.
Balde is aware of the fact that Xavi would want him to succeed in offence, he knows what the manager demands and knows the system very well. Hence, there is no reason why he would want to trade a perfect life for uncertainty with Pep Guardiola at the Etihad.
At present, Balde is still on his subsidiary contract but everything has been discussed with Mateu Alemany. As soon as Barcelona get the margin within the Financial Fair Play, they will make his deal official, which will be a contract at least until 2027 or 2028.
The 19-year-old has no interest in signing the huge offer sent in by Manchester City and will look forward to continuing his development at Barcelona.
