Barcelona had originally intended to secure the signing of Nahuel Molina during the recently concluded transfer window. However, due to their inability to do so, they ultimately turned to Joao Cancelo.
Barcelona was in need of a right-back to strengthen their squad, and they were able to acquire one in the form of Joao Cancelo. Nonetheless, it is worth noting that their initial preference was for Nahuel Molina.
According to ‘Marca’, Barcelona expressed their interest in acquiring the Atletico Madrid full-back during the final stages of the transfer window, despite being fully aware of his significance in Simeone’s plans.
Since Barcelona had no intention of triggering Molina’s release clause of 90 million euros, they approached Andrea Berta in an attempt to negotiate a swap deal.
Unfortunately for Barcelona, Atletico Madrid disregarded their proposal and promptly rejected it, leading Barcelona to pursue other options for a right-back.
In the end, Joao Cancelo, who was not part of Pep Guardiola’s plans for the current season and failed to meet expectations during his time at Bayern Munich last season, joined Xavi Hernandez’s team on the Deadline Day.
