Barcelona have reached a pre-agreement to sign Manchester City outcast on loan – report

Just a few hours ago, reports in Spain suggested that Barcelona were closing in on signing Joao Cancelo on a season-long loan deal with an option to purchase.

Now, Adrian Sanchez has gone a step further and claimed that there is already a pre-agreement for the loan signing to take place.

Barcelona, Manchester City, and Cancelo’s agent Jorge Mendes will all meet next week to finalise the deal, with some aspects of the operation still to be resolved fully.

Xavi gets his man

Barcelona have been pushing hard for the signing of a new right-back all summer long and Cancelo has been the club’s preferred target.

Manager Xavi Hernandez wanted the 29-year-old Portuguese international in January but the deal did not go through and he once again pushed for the right-back’s signing this summer.

For a brief period, it appeared as if the deal would not go through due to the finances involved, but the player’s willingness to push for the move and Jorge Mendes’ insistence seem to have unlocked the situation.

Cancelo will be joining the La Liga champions on a season-long loan deal with a purchase option inserted.

Reports earlier this month had already suggested that personal terms have been agreed between the player and the Blaugrana.

And with a pre-agreement now in place with City as well, the move should, in all likelihood, get across the line next week.

As such, if there are no major U-turns, Cancelo could be Barcelona’s next signing, joining forces with his former Manchester City teammate Ilkay Gundogan.