Manchester United target, Joao Cancelo has reportedly drawn attention from Serie A leaders, Juventus as well. The 23-year-old is currently serving a loan spell away from Valencia and has made 18 total appearances this season while furthering 3 assists.
Inter Milan have the option to buy him back for £30m but Valencia could be inclined to entertain better offers. Cancelo is one of the high flying names in Europe mostly due to his impressive performances for both club and country.
He already has 7 caps for Portugal and is expected to start in the 2018 FIFA World Cup. His professional career started with SL Benfica, being a graduate of their youth system.
The right-back made his debut on 28 July 2012 in a friendly match against Gil Vicente FC and was later registered to the Portuguese outfit’s ‘B’ team. Even with 51 total appearances for the second string side, Cancelo found it nearly impossible to break into the first team squad and later had to join Valencia on a one-year loan deal.
Clearly, the Oranges liked what they saw and signed him permanently in the summer of 2015 for £13.5m. Cancelo flourished in the La Liga and soon started to come into his own.
A pacey full-back with quality input on the defensive end is one of the rare cases in modern football. Cancelo is assertive with possession and is incredibly quick on the dribble. His talents were noted to be similar to that Dani Alves and Barcelona wanted to replace the Brazilian with Cancelo.
At 23, Cancelo is still developing into the peak of his footballing career and it is time for him to make a move to the big times. While Valencia might just be weaving their way back to title-contention they are still miles away from delivering major honours and this could be a roadblock in the Portuguese international’s promising career.
Moreover, Marcelino already has Martin Montoya in the lineup who is one of the best products of Barcelona’ La Masia academy. Regular game time is necessary and it would be an even better deal if either Manchester United or Juventus provides him with that opportunity.
Antonio Valencia has been loyal and dutiful for the Red Devils since Alex Ferguson transitioned him into the right-back position. The Ecuadorian is still a quality defender with all the makings of a United legend.
However, at 32 it is time for the club to look for future replacements and Cancelo can be the right man to succeed him. It would be in Mourinho’s best interest to pursue the 23-year-old aggressively and fight off an interest from Juventus or any other team with a beefed up offer next summer.
