Joao Cancelo’s Impending Departure from Manchester City in Favor of Barcelona

Prominent sports journalist and transfer market specialist, Fabrizio Romano, has confirmed that Manchester City and Barcelona have reached an agreement for the transfer of defender Joao Cancelo. The two clubs are currently in the process of exchanging necessary documents to finalize the deal, which is expected to be a loan move with an option to buy.

The impending transfer marks a significant move for Cancelo, who experienced a decline in his playing time under Pep Guardiola at Manchester City last season. The Portuguese right-back will now make a return to Spanish football, where he previously had a successful stint with Valencia between 2014 and 2018.

Romano announced the agreement, mentioning that the clubs are actively working on finalizing the deal on Monday itself. He further revealed that Cancelo is expected to travel to Barcelona during the day, which means that the official announcement of the transfer could come as early as Monday evening or Tuesday morning. Barcelona is keen on completing at least two more signings before the transfer window closes on Friday, September 1st, and time is of the essence for them.

However, Barcelona needs to carefully manage their squad and finances, as they still require a few more sales to ensure compliance with Financial Fair Play regulations before adding new players to their roster.

In this transfer, Joao Cancelo will join Barcelona on a loan basis, with an option to buy included in the deal. This will be his second time playing in Spain, as he initially made the move from Benfica to Valencia in 2014, where he showcased impressive performances. Following his successful spell at Valencia, he joined Inter Milan for the 2017-18 season.

Cancelo later transferred to Juventus before ultimately joining Manchester City, where Guardiola transformed him into a versatile player. However, due to a complaint about his lack of involvement within the team during the 2022-23 season, Guardiola distanced himself from the Portuguese star. As a result, Cancelo left Manchester City during the winter transfer window for Bayern Munich. Despite his good performances, Bayern Munich decided not to retain him.

Now, Xavi Hernandez, the coach of Barcelona, aims to address the challenges posed by Cancelo’s complex personality and bring stability to the team’s defense, particularly the right side.

For more information, you can check out Fabrizio Romano’s tweet on the transfer agreement posted on August 28, 2023.