Barcelona reach agreement to sign Man City defender in €25 million loan-to-buy deal

In a huge update from SPORT, Barcelona are closing in on the capture of Manchester City defender Joan Cancelo in a potential loan-to-buy deal that would cost the club around €25 million.

The publication claims that an agreement was reached between the two clubs during a meeting that took place in the US prior to the friendly match last night, although the negotiations were extensively carried out by the player’s agent Jorge Mendes.

Barcelona’s new offer

As has already been reported, Barcelona have been very clear about re-signing Joao Cancelo after his loan spell at the club last season.

The idea had always been to try and secure the Portuguese international on a loan deal with a possible option for purchase. And as per the report, that is what they have proposed to Manchester City.

Indeed, according to the report, Barcelona are offering a loan fee of €7 million to sign Cancelo, with the deal consisting a mandatory buy option worth €18 million at the end of the next season.

As such, the operation will reach a total value of €25 million, the price that Manchester City had been seeking for their defensive outcast.

Cancelo makes a financial effort

Furthermore, the report states that Barcelona will cover the entirety of Cancelo’s wages for the season he is on loan, which is another aspect that is said to appeal to Manchester City.

But the Portuguese international is willing to make financial sacrifices and reduce his wages considerably as long as he is able to sign a long-term contract with Barcelona.

The player has always maintained that he wishes to continue at Barça and will now likely get his wishes, with manager Hansi Flick also green-lighting the operation.

What now remains is for the Blaugrana to return to the 1:1 rule, following which they can press ahead with the formalities of signing and registering Cancelo.