Barcelona are set to submit an offer for Joao Cancelo again this summer, but not the one that Manchester City want. The Portuguese defender seems unlikely to return to City, at least while Pep Guardiola is there, but Barcelona do not have the funds for a major move.
City are keen to move Cancelo on permanently by all accounts, but various reports detail demands of somewhere between €25-40m for his signature. The 29-year-old has a contract until 2027, but has expressed a consistent desire to return to Catalonia next season.
According to Marca, the Blaugrana will submit another loan offer, devoid of any option to buy again, and hope that City accept it. Cancelo is enjoying life in Barcelona, and both player and club believe there is a chance that agent Jorge Mendes can persuade City to cede ground. As much as they might want to ask for money, Barcelona’s priority next season is not the right-back spot.
Any hope the deal has of going through likely depends on Cancelo. If he shows any willingness to move elsewhere, then City will try to gain some sort of fee for him, whereas as if he remains stubborn over only joining Barcelona, then City will have little choice other than keeping him. That was the case last summer, and it could go into the final days of the window again.
