Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo has reportedly turned down a lucrative offer from the Saudi Pro League to join Barcelona on an initial loan deal.
Cancelo spent the second half of last season on loan at Bayern Munich after a breakdown in his relationship with Manchester City head coach Pep Guardiola. Despite Bayern declining the opportunity to make the move permanent, Cancelo is not in Manchester City’s 2023-24 campaign plans.
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Barcelona has been heavily linked with the Portuguese right-back, and transfer expert Fabrizio Romano has stated that Barcelona is the frontrunner for his signature. Barcelona’s financial constraints mean they cannot sign Cancelo permanently this summer, but they could potentially complete a deal next summer. The Catalan club reportedly wants to structure a loan deal with a buy option.