Barcelona to submit loan with option to buy offer to sign Manchester City superstar - Reports

Barcelona are reportedly set to submit an offer to Manchester City for right-back Joao Cancelo.

According to transfer news expert Fabrizio Romano, the Catalans want to sign Cancelo on loan with an option to buy him in the future. They have already agreed personal terms with the Portuguese defender.

Romano provided the update via his X (formerly Twitter) account on Monday, August 14, writing:

"Understand Barcelona are set to submit formal bid for João Cancelo! Loan with option to buy clause, on the table with Man City. Crucial days to make it happen after personal terms agreed."

He added that the Blaugrana will use some of the funds generated from their sale of Ousmane Dembele to Paris Saint-Germain for the deal:

"Barça will use part of Dembélé money for Cancelo, as revealed one week ago."

Romano did not reveal any details on whether Manchester City will receive a loan fee or the length of the loan deal.

City have seemingly been looking to offload Cancelo, who spent the second half of last season on loan at Bayern Munich after a spat with manager Pep Guardiola. He played 21 matches for the Bavarians and recorded a goal and six assists.

Cancelo joined Manchester City back in 2019 in a cash-plus-player deal that saw Danilo move to Juventus. Since then, the Barcelona target has played 154 times for Guardiola's side, recording nine goals and 22 assists.

He has won two Premier League titles, two Carabao Cup and an FA Community Shield as a permanent member of their squad. Cancelo also played a part in City's treble win last season, featuring in 17 league games, a match apiece in the FA Cup and Carabao Cup, and six UEFA Champions League contests.

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Barcelona and Manchester City endured contrasting starts to their 2023-24 campaigns

Barcelona and Manchester City both kickstarted their respective league seasons this weekend. The two matches provided an indication of why a potential Joao Cancelo deal could help both teams.

The Blaugrana suffered from a lack of creativity at various moments as they played out a 0-0 draw away to Getafe in their La Liga opener on Sunday, August 13. They created just two big chances against a home defense which stayed solid even after both teams went down to 10 men.

City, meanwhile, romped to a comfortable 3-0 victory over newcomers Burnley two days earlier on Matchday 1 of the new Premier League season. Erling Haaland scored twice, while Rodri also got on the scoresheet.

For Barcelona, Ronald Araujo started at right-back against Getafe. While he was solid and displayed excellent passing acumen, the Uruguayan, a centre-back by trade, is simply not a creative force. Cancelo could resolve that issue for Xavi Hernandez's side.

Meanwhile, right-back Kyle Walker and left-back Rico Lewis both put in good shifts for Manchester City against Burnley. Nathan Ake and Manuel Akanji also operated as full-backs with great success last season, which explains City being open to letting Cancelo leave this summer.