Manchester City and Barcelona prepare a world-class swap deal
Manchester City and Barcelona find themselves in the same boat this season. Both the clubs are in a dire need of recruiting defenders at the end of the season after being exploited all season long by most teams.
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The Sky Blues of Manchester had stunned the world in the summer of 2019 after they announced the signing of Joao Cancelo from Juventus on a swap deal which included former Real Madrid player, Danilo. The Portuguese right-back had penned a six-year contract with the English club and had arrived at the club as a potential replacement for Kyle Walker.
Like Manchester City, Barcelona had stunned the world as well after they announced the signing of Antoine Griezmann from Atletico Madrid for a reported fee worth 120 million euros. The French forward was brought into the club to replace Luis Suarez whose contract is set to expire in the summer of 2021.
However, both the clubs now find themselves in the same boat once again as their blockbuster signings in the summer market of 2019 has not panned out as expected.
Barca and Manchester City lineup a Portuguese swap deal
According to recent reports, Barcelona and Manchester City are negotiating a possible swap deal that would see Nelson Semedo and Joao Cancelo swap clubs. Semedo has not been at this very best this season and has his form has dipped a lot more after the resumption of the league following the three-month suspension due to COVID-19.
Quique Setien believes that he would require an attacking right-back for the 2020/21 season and it seems like Nelson Semedo of Portugal does not fit into his plans either.
Meanwhile, Joao Cancelo of Manchester City has had to play second fiddle to Kyle Walker who has been Pep’s first choice for most of the games. However, despite securing just 12 starts in the Premier League, the former Juventus right-back has created the same number of key passes that Kylie Walker has created in 27 starts in the league.
Cancelo’s attacking style of play has been heavily underrated in the league and a switch to Barca might be the perfect opportunity for Cancelo to show his true potential. Meanwhile, Semedo has caught the attention of Guardiola due to his defensive capabilities and his addition could prove to be pivotal next season for the Sky Blues while defending.
So far there have been no reports on whether it would be a straight swap deal or a swap deal plus cash. Nonetheless, the current swap deal that both the clubs plan on would benefit both the parties as each of them would receive a player that fits their agenda and style of play.