There are only two weeks left of the current transfer window, and that’s little time to get a deal across the line which hasn’t, apparently, been discussed in any great depth with the selling club concerned.
After returning from a loan spell at Bayern Munich where they didn’t want to take up their option on him – Joao Cancelo is desperately looking for a new club as he has no future at Man City.
The Portuguese is understood to want a move to Barcelona, and the Catalans can certainly do with an experienced right-back, however, it’s believed that the Spanish league giants want a loan-to-buy arrangement rather than a permanent transfer at this stage.
The Athletic (subscription required) are reporting that neither Barca themselves nor the players agent have actually approached the Premier League champions to make an offer for the player at this point, and that could be fatal to their chances of acquiring him in this window.
That’s because the article also states that there is strong interest from Saudi Arabia, and as soon as Cancelo gets whiff of the riches that are likely to be on offer, there’s every chance he’ll make the jump to the Pro League like many of his contemporaries have done.
With Deco having been installed as Barcelona’s new sporting director, the club may find that they still hold a slight advantage given his Portuguese nationality, however, there isn’t long left to get what’s sure to be a complicated deal over the line.