Barcelona have made it clear that they can spend no more than €25m to sign Joao Cancelo permanently from Manchester City this summer.
That’s according to Sport, who cover the likelihood of a permanent deal taking place as the player continues to impress while on loan at the Camp Nou.
They explain that Barcelona are clear that the signing of Cancelo from Manchester City has been very important in raising the team’s competitive level and he has solved the major issue they had at right back to boot.
They want to sign him permanently and have communicated this to the player and his agent, Jorge Mendes, who is ‘key’ to any deal taking place.
The problem is they are limited in what they can spend and have had to set a ‘transfer ceiling figure’ to be able to sign Cancelo permanently.
That figure is currently at €25m, a problem as Manchester City are sticking to a valuation of €50m, an amount which is seen as ‘prohibitive’ by Barcelona.
They are in no rush to get a deal done but know that the sooner it is sorted the better, particularly if Cancelo continues to impress and thus increase his asking price.
For now, Barcelona are sticking to a €25m figure and know they have the backing of the player, who is ‘willing to stand his ground’ and not study offers from other teams to try and force through a Barcelona deal. That could be key in the ‘poker game’ between the two clubs.
The belief is that an agreement can be reached somewhere, particularly as Cancelo and his entourage want to continue at the Camp Nou.
It is that desire which gives Barcelona hope of getting a deal done, although for now their price and Manchester City’s are far apart.
