Manchester City’s hopes of selling Joao Cancelo in the summer may have been handed a boost as a recent knee injury is not as bad as first thought.
That’s according to Sport and Mundo Deportivo, who say it’s not all bad news regarding the defender despite him suffering a knee ligament injury.
Cancelo is currently on loan at Barcelona from Manchester City and the hope for both sides is that a permanent deal can be struck, with the Catalans very much happy with the defender and City considering him as no longer part of their plans.
However, there were fears a deal could not be done after Cancelo had to pull out of Barcelona’s recent clash with Las Palmas in the 9th minute through injury.
The fear was that he could be set for an extended spell on the sidelines and thus, potentially rule out a permanent move in the summer.
Those fears were misplaced, however, as Sport and Mundo Deportivo report that Cancelo won’t be out for as long as initially anticipated.
Sport report that after more tests today Cancelo has been diagnosed with a lateral ligament strain, which Barcelona are insisting is not a serious injury.
Mundo, meanwhile, say Barcelona “breathes easy” after tests carried out this morning confirmed Cancelo has a strain of the internal lateral ligament in his left knee.
They’re yet to provide a timeline for the defender’s return but there is a confidence it will not be a long absence as first feared and Manchester City’s hopes of a permanent transfer in the summer are not in tatters after all.
