Manchester City outcast is seen as a transfer priority for Barcelona
By Evan Curnew
Joao Cancelo is not expected to be a massive factor under Pep Guardiola next season at Manchester City. There’s a strong belief that for a reasonable price, City will absolutely look to sell the Portuguese fullback. Cancelo spent the last half of his season on loan at Bayern Munich, where he won the league with the Rekordmeister. Despite lifting some silverware, the move ultimately was unfortunate for him as Manchester City went on to win the Champions League without Cancelo. He played enough Premier League matches last season with Manchester City to receive the title honours, but even that feels a bit mickey mouse to celebrate.
Joao Cancelo, in recent times, has been criticized for his lack of defensive awareness, despite his elite passing and offensive instincts. In January 2023, Pep Guardiola began decreasing the playing time for Cancelo in the Premier League. It was reported at the time that Joao was dissatisfied with the managerial move, which ultimately sparked his move to Bayern.
Rico Lewis, who can play both left-back and right-back, is now seen as more valuable than Cancelo to Pep Guardiola. Kyle Walker could very well leave, but for now, he is also a competitor for the right-back. Nathan Ake has also seen reps at left-back down the stretch, a position he’s played before. What’s even more worrying for Cancelo is Pep sometimes converting the backline to a back three. All in all, Joao Cancelo can now be labelled as an outcast at City.
Barcelona could sign Joao Cancelo if Ousmane Dembele joins Paris Saint-Germain
Fabrizio Romano is reporting that if Ousmane Dembele joins PSG, from Barcelona, the Catalan club could turn around and use the funds to sign Cancelo, who they see as a priority. Since this report, Dembele has moved a lot closer to a move back to France. PSG and Dembele’s agent have agreed to personal terms already, and Barcelona is soon to be informed that Dembele’s release clause is being activated. This has all been reported by Fabrizio Romano.
Dembele’s exit clause is £43m which can provide much-needed funds for a Joao Cancelo transfer. Manchester City likely will take a cut price on the defender to move his wages and get the player out of the club. There’s yet to be a reliably reported fee that City wants for Cancelo.
Joao Cancelo could join Ilkay Gundogan and Riyad Mahrez as City veterans to leave Manchester this summer.