Barcelona are willing to be patient in their quest to sign Joao Cancelo from Manchester City this summer, as they persist in pursuing the defender, according to reports.
Cancelo had a fruitful loan stint with Barcelona last season, making 42 appearances and scoring four goals, two of which were in the Champions League.
He became an integral part of the team alongside fellow loanee Joao Felix.
Barcelona have expressed their interest in keeping Cancelo, and he is reportedly keen to stay.
However, they will only pursue a loan deal, while City prefers a permanent sale.
Reports from SPORT indicate that Barcelona are ready to “patiently” pursue Cancelo. City’s asking price of €30m is beyond Barcelona’s budget, so they hope the price will decrease as the transfer window closes.
Sporting Director Deco plans to wait until later in the window, betting that Pep Guardiola’s desire to offload Cancelo might push City to agree to another loan arrangement.
Meanwhile, clubs in Saudi Arabia are prepared to meet City’s price, but Barcelona is counting on Cancelo rejecting these offers, which would increase the pressure on City to facilitate his return to Camp Nou.
Barcelona is not in immediate need of a right-back, as they already have Jules Kounde, Hector Fort, and Julian Araujo capable of playing that position.
City will continue searching for a permanent buyer for Cancelo, with agent Jorge Mendes tasked with finding him a new club. Nevertheless, Barcelona believes they can secure his signature by waiting until later in the transfer window.
