Cancelo has already passed the first filter as Barça eye summer transfer

Joao Cancelo’s name has gone down well at Barcelona. The Portuguese right-back, as we reported in SPORT, is a name that is on the table for the Catalan club to sign in the immediate future, taking into account the needs of the team.

President Joan Laporta himself explained this week that Barça would like reinforce next season with a full-back, a centre-back and a striker. The options that considered are various, but Cancelo has emerged in the last few hours with a lot of strength.

Both the board and the sporting committee view favourably the possible incorporation of the player, who would arrive on loan as Manchester City are willing to loan him out and Bayern Munich, his current club, have no intention of keeping him on loan or exercising the option to buy at the end of the season.

Cancelo, therefore, would return to City in the summer and would have to look for a way out.

SPORT previously revealed Cancelo is an option that is very much liked by Barça for two reasons. The first is that it would not be necessary to make a large financial outlay to bring him in, as it would only be necessary to negotiate with City the price of the loan.

And, secondly, that he is a player that Barça has traditionally liked and has been linked with previously — when he was at Valencia his signing was contemplated. He is a top-level player who would strengthen the current squad.

A 28-year-old right-back, Cancelo is going through a difficult time in his career. And this is what Barça have set out to investigate before moving forward with negotiations or, at least, positioning themselves for when the time comes.

In just two short months, Cancelo has gone through a turbulent period that has caused him to lose the confidence of Pep Guardiola. The City manager opened the door for him to leave after a confrontation after a match. He asked Ferran Soriano and Txiki Begiristain to move him on because of his behaviour at the club.

He went out on loan to Bayern where he made a good start. After one training session, he made his debut and a few minutes into the game provided an assist. That dynamic did not continue and, after five games, he lost his starting place, even starring in a strange episode during a training session in which he publicly showed his discomfort with the situation.

As a result of this report, Barcelona will either move forward to sign Cancelo or, on the other hand, let time pass without making any moves. In any case, and at this moment in time, the club’s predisposition is positive.