Manchester City are closing in on the signing of Barcelona defender Nelson Semedo, according to a report in Diario Sport.
It is claimed that the deal is theoretically a €45m deal, but City are hopeful on cancelling out the transfer fee by offering Joao Cancelo in exchange.
A report earlier this month in The Telegraph suggested that the lack of cash flow currently in football means that swap deals are much more likely among clubs this year and said Semedo may move to City in a deal taking Joao Cancelo to the Blaugrana.
Last week, a report in Diario Sport said Barcelona’s priority is to keep the player but his agent Jorge Mendes is pushing for a move and they believe that he can generate profits to rejuvenate the squad.
It follows a report in Diario Sport which stated Semedo has frozen his contract extension talks with Barcelona and will consider leaving the club if his first-team minutes cannot be guaranteed.
Semedo was signed by Benfica in the summer of 2017 for a €35m fee but has not always featured regularly for the side, with Sergi Roberto often preferred at full-back.
The right-back had been widely linked with an exit from the Camp Nou last summer with Atletico de Madrid among the clubs strongly mentioned in relation to his transfer.
His current contract runs until 2022 with the Catalan club hopeful of adding a further two years to that, but his agent Mendes believes he can find a buying club who would make him a starting regular for next season.
