According to a report from Ferran Correas of SPORT, Barcelona still have not sight of Manchester City defender Joao Cancelo as a new right-back continues to be on the agenda of the club.
Incoming director Deco is understood to be keen on signing a new right-back and there may be finances available as the club are now going for a low-cost pivot midfielder in the form of Oriol Romeu.
While the name of Ivan Fresneda has been gaining weight, Barça are still monitoring the situation of Cancelo at Manchester City with a view to taking him on loan for the next season.
The Portuguese international has fallen out of favour with Pep Guardiola and does not have a place at the Etihad. And with Bayern Munich confirming that they have decided against signing him permanently, Barcelona have a chance to land the right-back.
However, for that to happen, Cancelo would have to reduce his salary by a significant margin. The 29-year-old currently earns around €8 million per year and would need to accept a wage cut, something that the Blaugrana can negotiate with his agent Jorge Mendes.
Barcelona’s plan is to sign Cancelo on loan with an option to purchase permanently next year. However, Manchester City would prefer to offload him permanently right away rather than loaning him out for a year, which would be another hurdle for the Catalans.
As such, alternatives such as the aforementioned Fresneda are being looked at, but without losing sight of what happens with Cancelo. Much will depend on the player exits that the Catalans are able to finalise in the coming days and whether the Manchester City outcast is willing to lower his €8 million per year salary.
