Barcelona is working diligently to finalize a contract with Portuguese defender Joao Cancelo from Manchester City during the final days of the summer transfer window in 2023. The Spanish newspaper "AS" revealed good news for Barcelona fans, confirming that the agreement between "Barça" and the Portuguese defender is complete, as Cancelo has already agreed to a salary much lower than what he earns at Manchester City.
The report noted that "Manchester City does not want to keep Cancelo and is open to any options regarding his departure," especially given the Portuguese international's desire to move to Barcelona and the interest from Barça's coach, Xavi Hernandez.
However, considering Barcelona's financial crisis and its inability to meet Manchester City's monetary demands for Cancelo's outright transfer or to include a mandatory buy clause in the offer, the only viable solution is to agree on a loan deal with a purchase option. Both clubs are working to reach a suitable arrangement.
This comes despite Xavi initially preferring to sign Argentine full-back Juan Foyth from Villarreal, whose club is not willing to negotiate his departure, increasing the preference for acquiring Cancelo. The likelihood of Barcelona signing the Portuguese player has become very high, as Xavi is enthusiastic about working with Cancelo, despite previous discussions about his negative behavior in the locker room.
