It is not often that a player gets to play at one of the biggest clubs in the world, named FC Barcelona. Joao Cancelo knows just what it means to play for the Catalan shirt, as he has been brought back to his best since his arrival there.
The Portuguese wingback joined the club last summer on loan from Manchester City, where he has become unwanted by manager Pep Guardiola. After a stint with Bayern Munich, he has made his way to Catalonia and wants to keep staying there.
Joao Cancelo wants Barcelona stay
Joao Cancelo has revealed that he wants to keep staying in Barcelona. The wingback was asked whether he wanted to stay or go back to Manchester City. He said that he wants to stay as he grew up as a fan of Ronaldinho, one of the biggest legends of the club. His exact words were, “Loan from Man City? I don’t know my future yet but I’d like to stay at Barcelona. I grew up with Ronaldinho as idol, I’m proud to wear Barca shirt.”
Joao had a successful time at Manchester City, but fell out last season with manager Pep Guardiola over playing time. He was then forced to spend the rest of last season at Bayern Munich on a loan deal, and they hesitated to pay to bring him in permanently.
🔵🔴 João Cancelo: “Loan from Man City? I don’t know my future yet but I’d like to stay at Barcelona”.
— Fabrizio Romano (@FabrizioRomano) March 11, 2024
“I grew up with Ronaldinho as idol, I’m proud to wear Barça shirt”, told Gazzetta dello Sport. pic.twitter.com/xendTdtDcI
Barcelona did everything to bring the player on loan this season, which required some clever maneuvering on their part, as they were struggling with FFP issues. Since then, he has been great for the club, and manager Xavi has found much use for him. Due to his versatility, he has played in both wingback positions, and even sometimes as a midfielder or winger. There is no doubt that he has been very useful to the club in the short time he has been here.
How much will Barcelona have to spend to sign Cancelo permanently?
It is no surprise that Barcelona want to keep Joao Cancelo at the club permanently, considering his vast usefulness for them so far. They also want to keep Joao Felix at the club as well, who is on loan from Atletico Madrid.
However, Barcelona will face many difficulties as they are already struggling with financial issues. Manchester City will most likely demand a fee of €30 million for the player, which is truly a bargain but the Catalans will still find it too steep.
They want to lower that amount to €15 or €20 million at best. There is a possibility of player swaps, though that is unlikely. The fact that no other club has shown interest in the player so far could work to Barcelona’s advantage.
It remains to be seen whether Joao Cancelo will be in Catalan colors in the summer, but for now, they will prepare for their crucial game against Napoli in the UCL Round of 16 on Wednesday night.
