Barcelona commission superagent to test the feasibility of loan move for Man City star

According to Ferran Correas of SPORT, Barcelona have commissioned superagent Jorge Mendes to assess the feasibility of a loan move for Manchester City star Joao Cancelo in the summer.

The Catalans are in the market for a new right-back this summer and Juan Foyth of Villarreal continues to be the top target for Xavi. The manager has asked Barça to make extra efforts to sign the Argentine, but his €54 million release clause makes the deal nearly impossible.

Hence, Barcelona are on the lookout for alternatives and Joao Cancelo is a name that is well-liked within the club offices.

The Blaugrana had considered the signing of the Portuguese international during the January transfer window but could not go ahead with the operation due to Financial Fair Play issues.

Cancelo then ended up leaving Manchester City for Bayern Munich on loan until the end of the season. The deal includes a €70 million permanent buy option which the German champions are unlikely to take up, meaning he will be back at the Etihad in the summer.

But with Pep Guardiola unwilling to keep him at the club, a summer exit looms large. And Barcelona want to test the waters with a possible loan approach.

As things stand, the La Liga leaders cannot afford to pay a big fee for the former Valencia ace, nor can they fit his wages on their inflated salary bill.

Hence, they have instructed Jorge Mendes, who is Cancelo’s agent, to test with Manchester City whether a loan move could be possible in the summer.

As far as the player is concerned, it has been reported that he would be willing to make a financial sacrifice to join Barça.

So, any move would now potentially depend on whether Manchester City would be open to letting Cancelo leave on another loan spell or decide to offload him permanently.