João Cancelo is close to completing a loan move to Barcelona that is likely to signal his full departure from Manchester City.
Cancelo is poised to travel to Spain after City exchanged documents with Barcelona regarding a deal for the Portugual full-back that contains an option to permanently buy the player. The fee is expected to be in the region of €25m.
The initial move will be Cancelo’s second loan spell in seven months after he joined Bayern Munich at the end of the previous transfer window. The 29-year-old’s departure came as a shock given what a hugely important figure he had been for City during their 2021-22 title triumph. It was reported that Cancelo’s reaction to being afforded decreased game time at City the following season was why Pep Guardiola allowed him to leave. The decision did not prove an unwise one given City went on to win the treble.
Bayern declined the option to sign Cancelo on a permanent basis and it was suggested Arsenal would make a move for him this summer. That did not transpire and, after he featured for City in pre-season, there was a sense the player could resurrect his career at the Etihad Stadium after all. That has not proven the case, however, and he is instead heading to the Camp Nou.