Joao Cancelo Snubs Big-Money Saudi Deal for Dream Barcelona Move

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.

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Cancelo recently received a lucrative offer from Saudi Arabia, but he has always been set on joining Barcelona and has rejected the opportunity. His contract with Manchester City remains for four years, giving the English champions a strong position in future negotiations for a transfer fee. Since joining Manchester City from Juventus in August 2019, Cancelo has made 154 appearances for the club, scoring nine goals and providing 22 assists. During his loan spell at Bayern Munich, he managed one goal and six assists in 21 outings.

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It remains to be seen when the deal between Barcelona and Manchester City will be finalized, but it seems likely that Cancelo will be wearing the colors of the Catalan club in the near future.

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