The last few days have been very eventful in FC Barcelona's camp. With certain youngsters being linked with European clubs and a disheartening departure of Ilkay Gundogan alongside the club's ongoing pursuit of Chiesa on the left wing, much has been happening at the Blaugrana club recently.
FC Barcelona rules out the signing of Joao Cancelo
Amidst all this involvement in the summer transfer window, reports indicate that the Catalan club has finally made a bold decision regarding a star loanee's future. It is well known that since his loan ended with Barca on 30th June, Joao Cancelo has been trying to return to the club. However, recent reports suggest that FC Barcelona has ruled out his signing now.
Recently, for a considerable time, talks had been going positive for the star's Barca return, including ongoing negotiations for another loan. Sources had claimed that the Portuguese full-back has been listed as the starting right-back for Barca's new project, but now Cancelo's Barca return seems negligibly probable.
Recent reports suggest that the Barcelona board was having internal discussions on whether the club should sign Joao Cancelo. Being aware of Man City's demand for something more for this second loan—a loan with an obligatory purchase or a transfer—Barça has realized they could not commit much.
Another possible reason why the Catalan club put off Cancelo's signing was his underwhelming performance in the crunch Barcelona matches last campaign. Diario SPORT reported that the Barcelona board appreciates Joao's versatility but is not sure about his performances in big games. They especially highlight his woeful performance against PSG last season.
On top of that, reports claim that the star full-back did not leave a good impression in the Barça dressing room. As Man City's boss, Pep, had remarked much before, he showed a bad attitude when he was not a starter and did not have a good relationship with the youngsters. Though this factor wasn't much relevant, it certainly did play in the board's final decision.
All in all, FC Barcelona has decided to look ahead of Cancelo and trust the youngsters and already-established players. Even though Joao Cancelo won't be a Barcelona player anymore, he will always be a part of the Blaugrana club's rich history for his brilliant loan campaign.