Barcelona will rekindkle interest in World Cup winner if they cannot sign Joao Cancelo permanently

While Joao Cancelo is proving to be quite a coup for Barcelona, it must be noted that the Portuguese full-back has only arrived from Manchester City on loan.

And if Barcelona fail to acquire him on a permanent transfer for financial reasons, they will make a move for Juan Foyth, reports SPORT.

The right-back spot at Barcelona is going to be extremely vulnerable towards the end of the season. If the Blaugrana fail in their attempt to sign Cancelo, they will be in dire need of a replacement.

For this very reason, the club has placed a high priority on strengthening the right side of defence. If Cancelo retains his current performance level and Manchester City do not set exorbitant demands for his transfer, Xavi would enthusiastically opt to retain the Portuguese. 

Cancelo has made a promising case

Ever since signing for Barça, Cancelo has consistently demonstrated his importance and has been a mainstay in the lineup, playing almost 650 minutes across La Liga and the UEFA Champions League. 

Furthermore, his versatility to excel as a right-back, left-back, or even as a winger, coupled with his ability to operate effectively both on offensive and defensive positions has rendered him an exceptionally valuable player.

However, in the event that retaining Cancelo becomes difficult for Barcelona, the club will need to revisit previous options, such as Juan Foyth, who Xavi holds in high regard, although negotiations would be necessary and tricky with Villarreal. 

Foyth could be expensive

It must be noted that Barcelona continuously chased Foyth during the summer transfer window, but Villarreal communicated one clear message that in order to acquire his services, the team from Catalonia would have to shell out €54.6 million.

For this very reason, Barcelona decided to end their pursuit but it seems that they have not lost sight of the Argentine after all.

On the other hand, as a potential replacement, Julian Araujo, who is currently on loan with Las Palmas, could be a viable option, or a promising young talent from the reserve team like Hector Fort could be promoted given that Sergi Roberto’s continuation seems improbable.