Joao Cancelo has fallen down the pecking order at Manchester City, which is sad to see after everything the Portuguese international has won under Pep Guardiola at the Etihad. The former Bayern Munich loanee was instrumental for many seasons under Pep, bringing the Spaniard’s philosophy of inverted full-backs into life.
Cancelo became the face of Pep’s playing style, with the versatile defender often used as a left-wing back or a defensive midfielder sometimes. However, things haven’t worked out well for Cristiano Ronaldo’s international teammate at City after he fell out of favour with Pep, with him spending last season on loan at Bayern Munich.
Barca inch closer to sign Cancelo
Barcelona are trying to strengthen the squad that won La Liga last season, with the Spanish giants inching closer to signing Joao Cancelo from Manchester City. Xavi has already snapped up Ilkay Gundogan on a free transfer from City, and the German international will add a lot to Barca’s midfield this season, especially after the manager lost his most-trusted player on the pitch, Busquets to Lionel Messi’s Inter Miami.
Barça want to complete João Cancelo deal very soon, new round of talks this weekend. The agreement with Manchester City is getting closer 🔵🔴🇵🇹 #FCB
Loan deal will 100% include buy option clause, as always mentioned; not mandatory.
Final details and then deal will be done. pic.twitter.com/4KA7wawbr5
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) August 19, 2023
Barca have been on Joao Cancelo since the opening of the transfer window, and according to Fabrizio Romano, the deal is now close after Xavi’s side reached an agreement to bring Joao Cancelo to Camp Nou. The deal will be an initial loan with an option to buy, although the option is not mandatory. However, a player of Cancelo’s talents and versatility is expected to do wonders for Xavi’s Barcelona.
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Barca have been active this transfer window, shipping off Ousmane Dembele to PSG after the Frenchman betrayed the club. Barca have added Inigo Martinez, Ilkay Gundogan, Oriol Romeu, and Victor Roque to their squad to challenge on all fronts this season and build up on the last season’s success.
Portuguese RB fell out of favor with Pep Guardiola last season
Cancelo’s fallout with Guardiola shocked many, as the Portuguese international was one of Guardiola’s first names on the team sheet. Joao Cancelo later found regular minutes hard to come by under the Catalan manager, something he should have understood as Guardiola is famous for always tweaking his tactics to get different results.
Cancelo was subsequently loaned to Bayern Munich, with Guardiola citing his attitude as the reason for his departure. Whatever happens this summer, Cancelo remains a great player and will have the best of times at Barcelona under Xavi, who has similar tactical onus to Guardiola.
Will Xavi help Barca defend their La Liga trophy this season? Make sure to let us know your predictions in the comments.
