According to Tuttosport, Juventus have set a £53 million asking fee for their star defender and Manchester City target Joao Cancelo. The Portuguese international has impressed in his first season in the Serie A, attracting interest from several top clubs across Europe, including the two Manchester giants.
The report claims that Juventus want a squad overhaul following the departure of Massimiliano Allegri. As a result, they are willing to sell Cancelo for a fee in the region of £53 million.
What can Cancelo bring to the table?
Cancelo is highly regarded as one of Europe’s best fullbacks, having had astounding success with club and country at such a young age. He is primarily known for his tendency to drive forward and help out attackers in the final third. Indeed, he can camp himself in the opposition half and provide extensive attacking support. And this is crucial for any team who embrace the possession-based style of play like Manchester City.
Thanks to his technical prowess, the 25-year-old can swiftly rotate possession using one-touch passes or creating passing triangles with the midfielder and the winger – making it virtually impossible for defenders to press or win back possession.
He is also quite a physically challenging and is a decent tackler as well, having averaged 1.7 tackles per game. Defensive work-rate isn’t necessarily his greatest strength. But, Cancelo’s quick movements, coupled with his positional intelligence, helps him stay one step ahead of the opposition.
Should Manchester City make a move for Cancelo?
From a tactical perspective, Cancelo would be a questionable addition to Manchester City. The Sky Blues have fared quite well by employing a left-sided overhaul, where the left-back tends to move forward while the right-back operates in a relatively deeper role.
Kyle Walker, in that regard, has been brilliant in successfully playing out that role. But, Cancelo’s attacking tendencies mean both the Manchester City fullbacks can now move forward, which could leave space in behind the defence. Besides, Walker is only 29 and will be able to play to his potential for at least two more seasons. Danilo is also a capable back-up for the English international. Hence, Cancelo seems like a rather unnecessary target for Manchester City.
And for a whopping £53 million, it would perhaps be wiser for the Premier League champions to shift their interest to other options in the market. Different positions, even, as they are clearly struggling with a lack of depth in the defensive midfield role.
Stat courtesy: Whoscored
