Barcelona have not contacted Man City over move for €25 million-rated defender

Barcelona and Manchester City are currently accelerating talks over the shock move of Ilkay Gündogan back to the Premier League side.

The player is leaving Catalonia on a free transfer, largely as the scapegoat to reduce the burden on the wage bill and ensure that the team’s latest signing, Dani Olmo, is registered.

While Gundogan’s move is advanced, he is not the only player linking the Blaugrana with Pep Guardiola’s side this season.

Joao Cancelo, after all, has been waiting for an offer from Barcelona, and the Catalans have maintained interest in his profile for a long time now.

No Contacts Made

As revealed in a report by La Vanguardia, sources from Manchester City state that they have not been contacted by Barcelona over a move for Cancelo so far.

They do, however, maintain their stance on getting rid of the player, especially with him not seeing eye to eye with Guardiola.

City, therefore, prioritize selling Cancelo on a permanent transfer this summer, or at least a loan with an obligatory purchase clause.

Barcelona, for their part, are currently in a difficult place economically, and their desperation in selling last season’s MVP speaks volumes about how dire the club’s situation is.

To say anything about their ability to sign at this point would appear futile.

Strong competition

After a season with good prominence in Catalonia, Cancelo is hoping to secure a move back to Barcelona to link up with Hansi Flick.

He does, however, have other options on the table, including a particularly large proposal from Saudi Arabia that offers him massive wages.

As it stands, the Portuguese full-back is holding off the pressure from the Middle Eastern club in anticipation of a move from Barcelona.

The question, however, is how long he is willing to wait, especially considering that Barcelona have other priorities at the moment.

*Player valuation in title obtained from transfermarkt.com on date of publication.