Joao Cancelo agrees personal terms with Barcelona

I thought the Joao Cancelo connection was set to follow in the footsteps of Bernardo Silva, forever linked but never arriving. But it seems as though the deal to bring the Manchester City man to Barcelona is picking up steam today.

In Fabrizio Romano’s morning update, he confirmed that personal terms have already been agreed between the Portuguese right-back and Barcelona, and an official bid should arrive in Manchester any day now, with Barca using part of the Dembele money to get the deal over the line.

"“Barcelona are set to submit a formal bid for Joao Cancelo. Personal terms have already been agreed with the player, and now Barcelona will try a loan bid with the option to buy. Barca will use part of the Ousmane Dembele money for Cancelo.”"

Reports in Spain indicate that Barca is willing to pay a good portion of Cancelos’s salary but would prefer not to pay a loan fee, with the Catalan club committing to buying Cancelo next summer for around €35 million.

Cancelo to Barcelona could be a good fit for everyone

It’s still unclear if Manchester City will be open to the idea of a loan deal, but they may see this as the best option with Cancelo committed to playing for Barcelona.

The Portuguese international has been frozen out at Manchester City having fallen into Pep Guardiola’s doghouse. He spent the second half of the 2022/23 season on loan in Germany with Bayern Munich, and although the German Champions chose not to purchase him this summer, that was based on Die Roten having plenty of RB cover and not needing a permanent move.

Cancelo is defensively very adept but also offers plenty of options going forward. The 29-year-old registered four assists and a goal in just 15 appearances for Bayern Munich in the Bundesliga last season and would be a significant upgrade for Barca.

Ronald Araujo played out of position in Barcelona’s 0-0 opening draw against Getafe, but looked uncomfortable coming forward. Cancelo would largely complete a very young and talented team, and I think everyone is hoping to see the deal get done.