Barcelona’s operation to sign Man City outcast could depend on two key factors – report

Barcelona are facing immense pressure to complete the capture of Joao Cancelo, as we head towards the final phase of the summer transfer window.

The club’s negotiations with Manchester City are in the final stages, but there is no agreement as of yet.

Barça, therefore, must act fast if they are to secure the signing of Cancelo this season. This is perhaps the reason the club have set a deadline to sign the Portuguese international.

Jorge Mendes to engineer the move

According to a report from SPORT, Barcelona want to close the operation to sign Cancelo by the end of this week.

And the operation will be dependent on two major factors – the player’s desire to join the Blaugrana as well as superagent Jorge Mendes’ negotiating ability.

Mendes, who represents Cancelo, is well aware of Barça’s and are expected to transmit the club’s opening offer to Man City imminently.

In fact, the Portuguese super-agent is going to play a central role in engineering Cancelo’s potential loan move to Camp Nou this summer.

Barcelona themselves have not been in direct contact with Man City, as they trust Mendes to be the perfect mediator between the two.

Mendes, for his part, will transmit the offer, as mentioned earlier. Once that is done, the agent will find solutions that match both the club’s demands.

Mendes, who shares a good relationship with Joan Laporta, is already aware of the ceiling Barcelona can afford, with reports suggesting that the club want a €25 million purchase option for Cancelo.

In the next few hours, Mendes will hear from Man City and evaluate whether or not a deal is possible for Barcelona this summer.

Cancelo has appeared open to lowering his salary demands, but a transfer will be made difficult by Manchester City.

The English champions prefer a permanent transfer for Cancelo, especially with Saudi Arabia coming up with lucrative offers. Even if they do agree to a loan-to-buy deal the Cityzens will demand a big fee for the permanent purchase option.

As such, Mendes’ ability, as well as Cancelo’s desire, will be key to closing Cancelo’s signing for Barcelona.