According to the latest reports from Italian journalist Nicolo Schira, Manchester City want to complete the signing of Joao Cancelo, and they have reached a personal agreement with the Portuguese player. It is said that Juventus and Manchester City are in contact to finalise a deal for the right back.
Recently reports from the Sun came out that Kyle Walker and City have opened up talks about a new contract. The English fullback has his contract until 2022. This could spell trouble for Brazilian full-back Danilo as we feel that he could be sold in the summer to accomodate Cancelo.
Pep Guardiola has managed to win two back to back Premier League titles with a powerhouse squad which he has assembled. However, it clear that he is still looking to fine tune certain positions. Walker has been a regular in the right-back role for the Citizens, but the Englishman has been guilty of committing few errors here and there.
The new contract talks suggest that he is set to stay at the Etihad, so the signing of Cancelo is going to provide him with much sterner competition for the first team. Cancelo came up from Benfica’s academy, and he moved to Juventus just last season only from Valencia. He made 34 appearances for the Serie A Champions and managed one goal and eight assists.
City are likely to go hard for the Champions League title next season which they are yet to win in their history, and even though they won the domestic treble, the board is willing to back Guardiola again in the transfer market.
What will Cancelo bring to the table?
The 25-year-old is an attack-minded fullback, and he can play as an outright winger as well down the right. Given City’s dominating style of football where they hog possession, Cancelo will be highly effective in the final third. One can see him getting a good number of assists and goals under his belt.
Cancelo’s stand out attributes is his pace and dribbling skills. He can even do his defensive duties well, but he might struggle a bit with the physicality of the Premier League. Nevertheless, he would be a decent acquisition for Guardiola, and he should settle in well in his system. Walker will probably need to up his game as he has been found wanting on occasions and Cancelo can easily fit into the first team.
