Barcelona pushing to complete Man City defender’s capture, fresh talks to take place

Barcelona are locked in negotiations with Manchester City over the loan deal for Joao Cancelo.

The Portuguese international has emerged as the club’s top target in their bid to sign a new right-back this summer, but Barça are yet to reach an agreement with City.

New rounds of talks scheduled

As Barcelona look to advance through the deal, the club have scheduled a new round of talks with Manchester City, reports Fabrizio Romano.

As mentioned earlier, Barça are yet to reach an agreement with City, particularly when it comes to the loan fee and the value of the purchase option.

Fabrizio Romano suggests Barcelona want to complete the Cancelo deal very soon, and an agreement with Manchester City is getting closer.

The Catalans are expected to sign the right-back on a loan deal with a buy option, which will not be mandatory.

Ronald Araujo’s injury set to impact the deal

While Barcelona have been pressing hard to sign Cancelo all summer long, the recent injury of Ronald Araujo has seemingly accelerated their pursuit of the Manchester City right-back.

The Uruguayan international being out for at least a month exacerbates the need for a new right-back at the earliest, as Xavi is not left with too many alternatives.

The Barcelona coach, in fact, may have to reinstate Jules Kounde in the makeshift right-back position. It is not something the Frenchman is likely to appreciate.

But should Barcelona complete the capture of Cancelo, Kounde can continue to operate in his desired centre-back position.

The Blaugrana, therefore, are likely to put all efforts to reach an agreement with Manchester City in the coming days. Xavi would hope to have the Portuguese international at his disposal by the start of next week.