Reportedly, Barcelona has reached a verbal understanding with Manchester City regarding a discounted arrangement for Portuguese defender Joao Cancelo. The 29-year-old initially made his way to Barcelona on loan from Manchester City on the final day of the summer transfer window, following indications that he no longer featured in Pep Guardiola’s plans at the Etihad. Cancelo has made a notable impact in his early outings for Barcelona, contributing two goals and an assist in his first three appearances. This strong start prompted the Catalan club to initiate discussions for a permanent transfer. In the broader context of this development, as per Spanish outlet El Chiringuito, Barcelona and Manchester City have informally settled on a €35 million transfer fee.
Despite the agreed-upon fee, Barcelona may find it necessary to generate funds through player sales in order to finalize the deal, given their challenges in complying with La Liga’s Financial Fair Play (FFP) regulations. Additionally, there remains the possibility that City could reevaluate the transfer price if Cancelo continues to perform exceptionally, considering they had valued him at €70 million back in January 2023 when he was part of a loan arrangement with Bayern Munich.