In a recent report, Sport mentioned that Barcelona would have to pay €50m for Manchester City full-back Joao Cancelo this summer. It has been claimed that the Catalan club would face competition in the form of Arsenal in the race to land the Portugal international during this summer transfer window.
Cancelo’s Impressive Loan Spell At Bayern Munich
Cancelo experienced a decent loan spell at Bayern Munich last season when he put in a handful of impressive displays on the right side of their defence. The Portuguese sensation featured in 21 matches for the German club in the previous campaign, scoring one goal and grabbing six assists on all fronts.
The 29-year-old was a reliable performer for the Bavarian club as he averaged 1.5 tackles, 1.0 interceptions, 1.0 clearances, 0.8 shots, 0.9 key passes and 2.3 dribbles per game in Bundesliga. He has even been accurate with his ball distribution after making 85.1% of his attempted passes in league football (stats via whoscored).
His current contract at his parent club Man City will run out in the summer of 2027. Thus, it won’t be easy for the Catalan club to sign Cancelo on the cheap in this off-season.
Is Cancelo A Good Choice For Barcelona Boss Xavi?
Cancelo is a solid tackler of the ball and can time his challenges well to earn the ball back for his team inside his half. He usually clears his lines when the opposition are on the front foot and can shoot the ball with power from long range.
The Portuguese talent has got the vision to engineer a few decent chances in the opponent’s half and is a good dribbler with the ball. He is a tidy passer of the ball as well from the right flank.
We can expect Cancelo to add more quality to Barcelona boss Xavi’s first XI. He is good enough to help the Catalan club challenge for some major honours over the next few years.
At 29, Cancelo has still got plenty of football left in him at the highest level. Hence, he would be an excellent choice for Barca to consider before the start of the new campaign. Cancelo has got the winning mindset to be a success story at the Nou Camp if Xavi can snap him up this summer.
