Joao Cancelo has stated that he has no plans to return to Manchester City after his loan term at Barcelona ends.
This is according to Fabrizio Romano of CaughtOffside TV, as the £60 million (Telegraph) man’s future remains uncertain.
However, it has been confirmed that Joao Cancelo intends to stay at Barcelona in the long term rather than return to Manchester City.
Fabrizio Romano: Joao Cancelo is keen on Barcelona stay & not Manchester City return
Branded as an ‘amazing player’ by Bernardo Silva (via Manchester Evening News), it was reported on Monday that the treble-winners were willing to get him off their books for a fee of £24.3 million now.
It seems like Pep Guardiola has no desire to reintegrate the Portuguese international into his roster.
Now, Fabrizio Romano has given an insight into the fact that Manchester City loanee Joao Cancelo has his sights set on signing for Barcelona permanently.
“What we can say is that both players [Joao Cancelo and Joao Felix] want to stay at Barcelona in the long run.” For example, I’ve been told by people close to Joao Cancelo that he does not regard this season as a loan season and that he intends to return to Manchester City,” he stated.
“For example, it was the feeling at Bayern. ‘All right, I’ll stay here for six months and then we’ll see in the summer.’ However, this is not the case in Barcelona. Barcelona, he believes, is a project for the present and the future. He want to remain in Barcelona.”
Best for all parties if Joao Cancelo stays in Spain
For Manchester City, Joao Cancelo and Barcelona, it is best if he stays put at the Spotify Camp Nou beyond this season.
A flying full-back like Cancelo does not fit Guardiola’s current tactical setup, for starters, even keeping aside their much-reported rift.
As for the decorated technician, he is performing well in Spain and has become a regular starter again.
From Barcelona’s perspective, if the move is made permanent, they will get to keep one of the best full-backs in world football, which makes this potential deal mutually beneficial for all parties involved.