Barcelona dealt blow as Man City would prefer to sell defender to Real Madrid – report

Much has been said regarding the future of Joao Cancelo lately, with reports claiming that Barcelona and Real Madrid are among the clubs keeping a close track of his situation at Bayern Munich.

Cancelo’s loan spell at Bayern expires at the end of the season. As per reports, the idea of a prolonged stay in Bavaria has been ruled out due to Manchester City’s hefty €70 million valuation. This has put Barcelona on a red alert, though they face competition from Arsenal and Real Madrid.

A fresh report from SPORT has chimed in on the saga, suggesting that Manchester City prefer Cancelo to move to Real Madrid rather than Barcelona.

The report points out how Man City are favouring a €70 million sale for Cancelo this coming summer as part of the potential rebuild for Pep Guardiola’s team. Ilkay Gundogan has been similarly linked with an exit, though Guardiola is keen on retaining his services.

What makes Real Madrid a preferable destination for Cancelo, as far as Man City are concerned, is that the Spanish giants are willing to sign the player on a permanent deal.

Barcelona, in contrast, are not in a position to fund a permanent transfer for the Portuguese international, even though they are in the market for a top-quality right-back this summer.

In an attempt to sign Cancelo, they might propose a loan deal with an option to pay the sum through instalments at a later time. This does not go well with Manchester City, who want to immediately sell the player at the end of the season.

Manchester City have not made a clear decision yet, though, and will wait until they get a clearer outlook before they indulge in negotiations with interested parties. But as things stand, Barça would be better advised to pursue other alternatives in the market.