João Cancelo is getting closer to becoming FC Barcelona’s fifth signing of the summer after Iñigo Martínez, Ilkay Gündogan, Oriol Romeu and Vitor Roque, who will join Xavi Hernández’s squad in January.
The 29-year-old Manchester City wing-back, who is under contract until 2027, could see his loan move to the Blaugrana close before this weekend, report Mundo Deportivo.
The Portugal international would not, however, be able to be registered in time to make his debut against Villarreal this Sunday.
At the end of last week, the groundwork was laid between Barça and Manchester City for Cancelo’s loan with a buy option of around €30m depending on the game time he has under Xavi.
The next few hours will be decisive, with his arrival a priority for Xavi. As he showed at City under Pep Guardiola, he can also play at left-back.
Cancelo, who was tempted by Saudi Pro League football, has always been clear about his desire to join Barça, knowing the effort that Xavi has made for the transfer to go through.
He played on loan at Bayern Munich last season, featuring in 21 matches and scoring one goal and registering six assists. At City, where he landed in 2019-20 from Juventus for €65m, he netted nine times and set up 22 goals in 154 appearances.
Kieran Quaile | GSFN
