FC Barcelona tried to secure the loan signing of João Cancelo from Manchester City earlier this calendar year. This has been confirmed by coach Xavi Hernández in an interview with Esport3. The Portuguese wing-back was reportedly open to a move to Spain, but Manchester City refused to cooperate.
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FC Barcelona made headlines last summer by bringing in one reinforcement after another. Despite financial difficulties, players such as Robert Lewandowski, Jules Koundé, and Raphinha made high-priced moves to the Spotify Camp Nou. Although FC Barcelona underperformed in the group stage of the Champions League, they entered the World Cup break as the league leaders in their own country.
Despite the financial problems, FC Barcelona wanted to further strengthen their team in January. The coach, Xavi, focused on bringing in a wing-back and had his eye on Cancelo. The Portuguese player had been impressive in previous seasons at Manchester City and even provided a brilliant assist to Erling Haaland in the Champions League match against Borussia Dortmund before the winter break. However, there were rumored issues within the team, and City manager Josep Guardiola began favoring other players.
FC Barcelona hoped to take advantage of Cancelo's dissatisfaction and their good relationship with his agent, Jorge Mendes, who reportedly mentioned the player to the Catalan club. However, Manchester City refused to cooperate with a winter transfer. Xavi said, "We wanted Cancelo in January. They offered him to us, and we agreed. But in the end, they told us that Manchester City didn't want to let him go to Barça." Cancelo ultimately went on loan to Bayern Munich. It is currently unclear where he will play next season.
