Arsenal could complicate key defender’s stay at Barcelona – report

With the summer transfer window not too far away, it is time for Barcelona to make decisions over the futures of several players. One such player is the on-loan Manchester City star Joao Cancelo.

The Portuguese star has perhaps been the Catalans’ single-most impactful signing of the summer and has impressed the coaching staff and administration alike with his quality, dedication and passion.

Come June, Barcelona are thus well-placed to land the player on a permanent transfer to reinforce the right-back position. Given that the player does not see eye-to-eye with Pep Guardiola only makes his signing easier for the Catalans.

The inevitable hurdle

After an impressive season for Barcelona across all competitions, it is inevitable that Cancelo draws interest from other top European sides.

According to Mundo Deportivo, Arsenal are very interested in Cancelo’s profile to reinforce their full-back position and are looking to challenge Barcelona for his signing come June.

After all, Mikel Arteta has worked with Cancelo during his time as Guardiola’s assistant and knows what he brings to the table.

The pressure, thus, falls on Barcelona to see if they can meet the financial demands of Manchester City. The presence of a second competitor could well increase the Premier League side’s valuation of the player.

Arsenal could meddle with Joao Cancelo’s signing. (Photo by TIZIANA FABI/AFP via Getty Images)

The player’s desire

Speaking in a detailed interview earlier this week, Cancelo called Barcelona the team he always dreamt of representing and spoke on his time at the club so far.

“Barcelona is a difficult team but it is the club I enjoy the most in my career, and I always wanted to be here.”

“After last season, in which I was loaned to Bayern, I finally came to Barcelona and reduced my salary. I am not bothered by that at all. This was the third time I had been close to Barcelona and I finally arrived here,” he added.

It is thus clear that the Portuguese superstar wishes to continue at Barcelona for the long term, thus giving Xavi’s side the edge.

Manchester City hope to sell the star for between €25-30 million this summer, but Barça are probing the possibility of a second loan stint. It thus remains to be seen if a middle point can be met.