Barcelona defender Nelson Semedo wants to join Manchester City this summer but recognises any transfer will be difficult.
The front page of Thursday’s edition of El Mundo Deportivo expands on the Catalan outlet’s story that the Portuguese defender prefers a move to the English champions compared to Juventus or Inter.
The Catalan club were said to be keen to offer the 26-year-old in exchange for either Lautaro Martinez (Inter) or Miralem Pjanic (Juventus) but this now appears to be complicated.
A report in Diario Sport from two weeks ago claimed the two clubs were in negotiations for the player who is said to have a market value of €45m.
Another report 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.
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 a year ago, before they moved for Kieran Trippier.
Semedo’s 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.
