Joao Cancelo is determined to make a permanent move to Barcelona in the summer, despite interest from Chelsea, Arsenal and Bayern Munich.
The full-back joined Barcelona on loan at the summer transfer deadline and has been a key player for the club ever since. Cancelo made 32 appearances for the Blaugrana side, cementing his position as the club's first-choice left-back under Xavi Hernandez.
According to SPORT, Cancelo is keen to stay at the club after his current loan expires, and his agent, Jorge Mendes, is currently trying to help broker talks between his parent club Manchester City and the La Liga giants in order to achieve that goal. According to the report, Manchester City have been keen to receive a €40 million player service fee, with clubs such as Arsenal, Chelsea and Bayern Munich also expressing interest.
Barcelona are said to have told Cancelo that they want him to stay in the team, which is what the full-back wants. Although Cancelo may receive offers elsewhere this summer, he remains happy with Barcelona and is adamantly keen to stay in La Liga.
Options are being considered to extend Cancelo's stay in Catalonia, including a transfer during the upcoming summer window, or a loan arrangement with a follow-up purchase option. Efforts are underway to overcome Barca's wage cap restrictions, but there are signs that the deal could be finalised before the start of the Euros.
The full-back's return to Manchester City in 2024/25 looks like the most unlikely next transfer of his career due to recent comments on Pep Guardiola.
In an interview with A Bola in March, Cancelo lashed out at the manager, saying: "I've lied! I've never been a bad team-mate for them, you can ask [Nathan Ake] or Rico Lewis. I don't have any sense of superiority or inferiority complex for them, but that's the manager's opinion. ”。
"I stayed because it wasn't true. I think Man City were a little bit ungrateful to me when they said that because I was a very important player in all my years there. ”。 "I have never failed in my commitment to the club and the fans, I always give everything. I remember one time I was robbed and assaulted and the next day I was at the Emirates Stadium against Arsenal. ”。 "You won't forget these things, I left my wife and daughter alone at home and freaked out. People will only remember this because Mr Guardiola has more power than me when he speaks, and I prefer to be alone. ”